Students who play school well are easy to assess and a pleasure to 'critique'. Those reports practically write themselves. But the reports of students for whom school is a challenge, progress is not so easily reported. I can't help but ponder that if I were being assessed, I would want the writer to be ultimately and completely focused on the words they were using. I would want them to choose cautiously the words to describe my performance thus far, bearing in mind how I will receive the information. I'd hope they would consider even more, how my guardians will receive it, and then find a positive way in which to convey something that I have done correctly instead of listing all my shortcomings. Am I overthinking it? Maybe. Should I just assign comments and move on? I wish I could...but I can't.
What if I were to be judged quarterly, my shortcomings described concisely from a bank of generic statements available in our grade-generating program. This list of comments was created by compiling words written by teachers to describe student performance. It includes many positive statements, but it also includes negative ones such as:
- "Disruptive in class."
- "Lacks effort and seriousness of purpose."
- "Does not work well with others."
- "Inattentive during class."
- "Needs to raise standards for learning and performance."
- "Needs to understand the relevance of the subject matter."
- "Current grade is an F."
OUCH! Oh my! Those written comments are permanent and painful. They become part of the picture, carved and etched into the landscape that this student and I will share for the remainder of the school year, for better or worse. What would I feel as a struggling student as I read the comments left for me on my report card? How would I feel as I shared the comments with my mother and father? Would such comments help me to improve my school behavior or cause me to become withdrawn, defensive or accusatory? I can actually hear my mind laying down its defense: "Well, that teacher...blah, blah, blah..."
So yes, as I write my reports and make my comments for student progress, perhaps it is a fault in another direction, but I tend to keep using positive intonation and verbiage, no matter how difficult. I find the positive, and YES there is always something positive, to put in the archives of each student's bank of achievements. I prefer to put into print that which I would want etched into my mind and heart, for those are the words that would carry me further. Those are the words that will build a foundation upon which the student and I can stand in order to see more clearly how best to approach the items in need of attention and adjustment. Those other items, the ones eliciting the ugly comments inventoried above, can be shared verbally, worked on, and then as the student and I figure them out together with parents that feel they are part of the same team, they can be archived as improvements. If children are struggling, should the challenges be reported? Absolutely. Just not without a conversation. Only after talking with parents should a follow-up comment such as, "Together we will work to increase student attention." or, "Together we will address student purpose and effort." or, "Together we will improve student's preparedness." be stated. Yes, struggles must be documented, but as a plan that will be drawn up and confronted together so that next term I might be able to write, "Student shows improvement." Then there will be reason to celebrate!
