Holding My Breath
The first nine weeks came and went. The report cards were good. I was happy, pleased, but not overly excited. You see, as a parent and a teacher, I know what the first nine weeks grades often mean. It’s a “getting back into the swing of things” time and some of the work might be difficult and some of the work might be a little bit easier than what’s coming next. So, I held my breath. And I waited.
What Report Cards Mean
For some students and parents, report cards are celebratory paper trophies that bring money for every A. My mom did that for me, and it was great. I loved it, but I’ve never done that for my kids. It’s different when you have a child that works incredibly hard all the time, yet still finds at least one F on the report card. Just one if we are lucky, or maybe C’s and D’s.
I keep the classwork, progress reports, and report cards of all my children. I keep too much for sure, and I keep them for different reasons. At the end of each school year, I do throw away what isn’t needed because I have kept every single paper. Parents who have to advocate for their children understand this; you never know when you might have to have evidence to go to bat for your child. To make yourself feel better when you have the proof of all the hard work just in case it’s recommended that they repeat a grade, again, which you won’t allow. To explain that summer school doesn’t help them at all and is just a punishment when their sisters get to stay at home and play. That’s not an opinion or a feeling – it’s based in fact, year after year after year.
Pretty Pieces of Trash
We remember that students have different abilities, sure, and we check the boxes and we have the meetings. And then, if we are honest, we still expect them to learn in basically the same way as all the other kids. We adjust a little, give them extra time, say that they have “modified assignments” that aren’t done with fidelity unless the parent screams loud enough, pile on the work they missed from the regular classroom while they were in the exceptional children’s room so that when they come home they have classwork as homework for hours just to keep up. Some teachers won’t admit it, but they don’t understand how to teach exceptional children and when the child isn’t learning, they think screaming and making the child cry is a good strategy.
For some of us, report cards don’t mean much of anything. They are pretty pieces of trash at best.
A Paper Trophy of Her Own
For the 3rd nine weeks, my girl got a paper trophy of her own. A B Honor Roll. She worked hard, just like she always does. Moving has been hard, and we’ve all struggled to adjust in our own ways. But, for this – for my girl to have a chance to feel success – I’d move a million times.
Whatever report cards your child brought home this year, put them away. Let it go. Let them enjoy being a kid this summer. Forget about homework. Don’t even think about “summer slide.” Read books, of course, but go outside and play. Do nothing. Relax. Always love your child regardless of what’s on a piece of paper. Be grateful to those who understand what exceptional children experience and need.
