Grades, Creativity, and Frustration

Yesterday right after school, I saw one of my prior students in the hall. After our usual pleasantries in Spanish (which, with almost all of my students, consist of only "¿Cómo estás?" and "Bien, ¿y tú?" - another thing to work on...), I asked her if she was going on to Spanish 3 next year. Her answer nearly broke my heart and actually did leave me speechless:

Her - No. I don't like the way you grade here.
(We use standards-based grading. Their grades are supposed to reflect only their language proficiency based on modes of communication, not whether they turn in homework or complete "extra credit", etc.)

Me - What do you mean?

Her - I got all A's in Spanish at my old school and in your class I got a B.

Me - [mouth agape, crickets chirping]

GRADES! Nothing to do with goals, time, priorities, interests... The immediate reaction in my head was, But we offer re-takes on all exams to allow for different rates of learning! You could have come in and tried again on any of the assessments that brought your grade down! You could have gotten an A if you really wanted one! My next thought was, Way to miss the boat again, Sra. Hass.

It's not about grades. It's about a structural, institutional problem. It seems that very few of our students do anything with regards to academics or school because they want to or because they see value in it. Nearly everything they do in school is based on obligation. And this is ingrained in the institution itself! I remember in my master's program being taught to "raise the level of concern" for my students, ie: make them feel that if they don't do it, there will be some sort of consequence. The idea is that they won't do it unless I make them "concerned" about it, and unfortunately, that is often the case in our current system.

Then I saw this tweet this morning:

See is @tehshmarah RT @willrich45: @NMHS_Principal Showed your student vid at #nhascd yesterday...big hit! https://t.co/EsNvvgDfKx
— Eric Sheninger (@NMHS_Principal) 5 abril 2014

You have to watch this video. It's so inspiring, and it was made by a sophomore in high school! She is so spot-on with so many of her ideas. This is her illustration of what our educational system does to students:

With the way we do bell schedules, assessment, and grades, I think this is not too far off (and some may say right on the money).

I imagine something better. I imagine a school system where my student never even felt a setback because of her grades: she's positive, focused on her accomplishments and uses setbacks to really grow and better understand herself as a learner. Instead of choosing her classes based on how she can maintain a GPA, she designs her own educational experience with her interests, values and a sense of experimentation at heart. Through exploration and inquiry, she develops these values and interests and they lead her to her best self.

And throughout this process, I'm there to show her how travel, culture, global service and other languages might fit in. If it sticks, then THAT'S why she chooses whether to continue her studies in Spanish, not something as silly as a B on her transcript.

Note: Please understand that as an educator I am sensitive to the stress placed on students and parents with regards to GPAs, universities, and scholarships, and I don't mean to suggest that it is unimportant or should be ignored. I do, however, see it as something that can hinder creativity and real intellectual and personal development and therefore think that the system needs to evolve.