Grading Freshmen
in Students & Teens ·
I’m totally with dobrica on everything she said earlier. Honestly, I’d much rather have a teacher who’s strict and fair—rather than one who just lets everything slide... and trust me, that discipline really pays off in the long run.
When my oldest daughter started first grade, I was actually pretty shocked by how they graded—like, even one little mistake meant a B instead of an A. I was so frustrated with her teacher at first, thinking she was being way too nitpicky, so we spent a ton of time working super hard together at home... but in the end, she ended up with straight As. To give you an idea, there were about 15 honor roll students out of 27 kids in her class—and it was the exact same story in the other section. By the time they hit eighth grade, there were still 15 honor roll students in her class, while the other class only had one! My daughter went on to compete in all sorts of local and state competitions, and she got into the prep school of her choice without breaking a sweat—she’s handling the workload perfectly now. Looking back, I’m actually so grateful for that teacher from those early years; her "tough love" approach built the perfect foundation for everything else my daughter achieved later on.
My younger daughter just started first grade this year, and I’m just happy she’s in her current class... she doesn't have straight As, which is fine because she’s a completely different kid. Plus, life is a bit busier now and I can't hover over her quite as much as I did with my oldest. For me, the most important thing is that she actually enjoys school—I don't push for perfect grades, and I completely trust her teacher to give her a B if she hasn't earned that A.
Grades matter, sure, but they aren't the most important part of your child's education.
When my oldest daughter started first grade, I was actually pretty shocked by how they graded—like, even one little mistake meant a B instead of an A. I was so frustrated with her teacher at first, thinking she was being way too nitpicky, so we spent a ton of time working super hard together at home... but in the end, she ended up with straight As. To give you an idea, there were about 15 honor roll students out of 27 kids in her class—and it was the exact same story in the other section. By the time they hit eighth grade, there were still 15 honor roll students in her class, while the other class only had one! My daughter went on to compete in all sorts of local and state competitions, and she got into the prep school of her choice without breaking a sweat—she’s handling the workload perfectly now. Looking back, I’m actually so grateful for that teacher from those early years; her "tough love" approach built the perfect foundation for everything else my daughter achieved later on.
My younger daughter just started first grade this year, and I’m just happy she’s in her current class... she doesn't have straight As, which is fine because she’s a completely different kid. Plus, life is a bit busier now and I can't hover over her quite as much as I did with my oldest. For me, the most important thing is that she actually enjoys school—I don't push for perfect grades, and I completely trust her teacher to give her a B if she hasn't earned that A.
Grades matter, sure, but they aren't the most important part of your child's education.