Jan 29 2008
The Weight of Report Card Comments
Another semester has ended, and I’m wrapping up my final report card comments. I often experience some anxiety over writing comments, not least because of the time in which these concise, insightful, grammatically correct summaries of student’s achievements are to be completed.
But it’s more than meeting the deadline that challenges me. I struggle to find a way to express a student’s progress in a way that helps students and parents alike — meaningful without being too wordy; honest without being harsh; linked to curriculum expectations without being full of education jargon. The Report Card Blues posting by TVOParents suggests that there are parents out there who read these comments carefully and want to be able to understand them. I can appreciate that.
Another challenge is the decision to recommend a student for another level next time. This, I find very difficult. On the one hand, I want students to experience success in school, and some of my students strike me as ideal candidates for a less challenging level. On the other hand, I realize just how significant the course level is in determining future opportunities. Academic/University students have more future options than those in the Applied/College level, who in turn have more than those in the Essential/Workplace level. By recommending that a student try an easier level, am I favouring their short-term success over their long-term fulfillment?
Ultimately, it is the parents who will decide which level to place their student in, so I know that my recommendation is not a final ’sentence’ for a student. Still, it weighs heavy on me.
