I suppose I should begin by addressing the sheer, unadulterated chaos that seems to permeate our current discourse... although, why one would even bother attempting to find logic in this digital wasteland is a question I find myself asking more frequently with each passing hour... It feels as though we are all just shouting into a void, hoping for some semblance of intellectual stimulation, yet receiving nothing but static... and frankly, it’s exhausting... kaže:
Oh, absolutely... when a teacher actually takes the time to truly get to know their students, they aren't just guessing at things... they see exactly where those kids stand, and I can assure you, those evaluations are anything but vague or arbitrary...
My daughter is six and a half now, and having spent an absolute lifetime glued to her side, I have to tell you... I simply cannot wrap my head around how to gauge those "genetically predisposed" talents you mentioned, whether it be her aptitude for math or her knack for drawing, or whatever one might call that innate baseline level of ability. Certainly, I could attempt to make a rough, educated guess if pressed, but I truly have no idea where the actual threshold lies...
I simply cannot bring myself to attempt it...To be perfectly honest, I find myself utterly unable to draw a definitive line regarding what one should even expect from her—whether we are discussing mathematics, drawing, or perhaps gymnastics... and then, quite suddenly, there is this mountain of other subjects to consider. It is all rather overwhelming. One truly cannot say for certain. After all, she is still evolving, just as every child does during these formative years... I spent the entire afternoon simply watching her, lost in thought, trying to make sense of it all, and believe me when I say that I simply DO NOT KNOW the full extent of what this child is capable of achieving...
How on earth is a teacher supposed to truly know a student when she only sees them for four hours a day, five days a week... and even then, if she were lucky enough to have just one child in her care, perhaps she could actually formulate a legitimate assessment, but instead, she is faced with two dozen incredibly diverse kids who all require her undivided attention and care... which makes any attempt at a precise evaluation virtually impossible. She can certainly make an educated guess, I suppose, but she cannot possibly measure someone with the kind of granular accuracy required to establish concrete criteria for future grading, so her judgment inevitably devolves into what is essentially nothing more than a wild guess... and don't even get me started on how this is going to work once we move into specialized subject instruction...
From what I can gather—and this is something I truly believe, much as I suspect her teacher is already well aware—it all boils down to just how thoroughly she has mastered the material...
It is quite certain... that certain individuals, those who possess a certain set of preconceived notions, seem to believe they have some sort of inherent authority over how things ought to be conducted... which is, frankly, an absurdity of the highest order... Is it some sort of assignment, or just some random individual...
To be perfectly blunt... The subject matter at hand... it is quantifiable, isn't it? But those innate, raw talents one is born with? Well, they aren't exactly easy to put under a microscope. I find myself dwelling quite extensively on the points you raise, truly pondering them, and I must admit that I am starting to wonder if you might actually be onto something... yet, I simply cannot wrap my head around how an educator's assessment of a student's potential wouldn't be inherently subjective, or rather, "clouded"... and how teachers wouldn't find themselves forced to lean heavily upon concrete, measurable data—you know, things like percentages, standardized test scores, comparative charts against other kids in the same grade, and so on... 🤷
So, you actually believe it is acceptable to raise a generation of slackers and total layabouts? To essentially cultivate a culture of mediocrity where people are actively rewarded for doing the absolute bare minimum... especially when they go out of their way to receive a pat on the back just for showing up at all... it truly makes one wonder about the direction this country is heading...
As I have previously articulated to you, I do not view a grade as some sort of moral reward or a punitive measure meant to discipline a student, but rather as a mere assessment of one's proficiency and grasp regarding a specific subject matter... and that is truly all there is to it.
I find myself repeating this point once again, though I suppose it bears repeating... while it is perfectly logical that we approach assessments for young children with a certain degree of caution and gentleness—given their inherent fragility at such a tender age—I cannot help but feel it is fundamentally misguided to instill a mindset where grades function merely as a system of rewards or punishments... It fosters this idea that if one simply exerts enough effort, they should be immediately "qualified" for the highest possible marks. To my mind, this approach is profoundly unrealistic and, frankly, somewhat psychologically unsound...
Why on earth would anyone expect the criteria to be identical across the board, because frankly, why would they be... there simply must be a variety of standards applied depending on the context, and I find it quite baffling when people suggest otherwise. If we don't establish distinct benchmarks for different roles, how are we ever supposed to instill any sense of discipline or cultivate actual work ethic, especially if the very essence of labor isn't treated as the absolute priority it should be...
I am not even talking about...
In an ideal system... If we actually possessed a system like that—I mean, if we truly had a framework where every word you wrote was etched in stone and everything could be perfectly orchestrated to ensure everyone walks away satisfied... but we don't. We simply don't. I am speaking about a system that...
We. Within this American educational framework, it is simply impossible for my child to "swap" her proficiency levels between English and her native language during standard school hours—where one is treated as a mother tongue and the other as a foreign language—and then have an instructor precisely determine which of
her drawings will be subpar versus which will be stellar across all subjects, for her or for any of the other twenty students in class. It just can't happen, and it isn't even a matter of whether the teacher is being lenient; it is quite frankly
impossible.
A grade that reflects a student's continuous effort and hard work certainly isn't handed out as a gift. However, a grade resulting from yawning and wasting time, or perhaps fifteen minutes of actual learning, is always gifted, regardless of whether it results in a C or an A.
Again, you are describing some utopian system where everyone progresses at their own individual pace in every single field, and so on... That simply DOES NOT exist. At most, you might find that within homeschooling circles or if you pay for a decent private tutor who actually understands your child and focuses solely on them, but beyond that...
We are bound to some form of a system, to certain collective standards, and to evaluating children based on those specific criteria.
I am not necessarily claiming that this is a perfect thing, but it fundamentally alters the approach to education.
Children who are capable and need to be can realize their full potential through various extracurricular activities. School provides only a certain framework and the foundational knowledge that should be common to everyone, while specialized talents are developed outside of that basic context.
Grades do not pass judgment on a child's
intrinsic worth; the fact that YOU perceive them that way and clearly pass that attitude onto your own children—teaching them the unrealistic notion that effort will always be enough regardless of everything else—is a completely different issue entirely.
And as for the idea that children are predetermined for their actual grades, because apparently they are just born that way, I can only tell you that such a view is shameful racism. I find it astonishing that any human being could stand behind such positions.
First of all, I never said they were "predetermined," and if you read my posts carefully (without projecting your own assumptions 😛 into them), you will see that I absolutely allow for variations in the grading of the SAME student in different skills, depending on the level of effort you mention so much—though I do not deny the very real possibility that for subject X, student Y truly doesn't need to exert any effort at all to earn an A, other than minimal exposure to the material itself.
Secondly, yes, I truly believe there is a small percentage of students who ultimately WILL NOT be able to reach the level of knowledge and skill required for an A in a given area (and these could certainly be children who are exceptional in other areas; in fact, that small percentage won't consist of the same group of kids across every subject). For the vast MAJORITY of children, that isn't the case; they will be able to achieve it, albeit with varying amounts of effort—again, I am speaking on a per-subject basis. And to me, that is reasonable and fine. Just as it is reasonable and fine to me that a child might NOT WANT to put in the level of effort required for an A and will instead settle for a lower grade. I see no reason to force every single A or to consider someone "qualified" for an A just because they feel they are trying hard enough in their own opinion.
In my views, I see nothing racist, nor do I consider it a judgment of a child's value when they simply cannot achieve an A in art. You can think what you want, but heaven forbid a child struggles with a particular subject in school. 🙄 Children aren't raised to experience this as a catastrophe or proof of their own "incompetence"; rather, they are gently guided toward what they are good at and what they enjoy, while the rest is just "dealt with," progressing as much as they can and as much as they want, without getting worked up over a C in music or a D in math, and least of all about the fact that there might be a little Mozart or a little Gauss in the classroom who practically don't have to work for those specific areas (which doesn't necessarily mean Gauss won't struggle with music, or Mozart with math, or both with something else entirely). In fact, we teach them to LEARN from these subjects, to perhaps open new windows and new ways of thinking, just as other children do for them, rather than letting them become frustrated (nor do I think such children need to be accelerated if it's just one or two areas where they deviate, namely...
specific talent, rather than just general progress from grade to grade in absolutely EVERYTHING). A little Mozart or Gauss deserves after-school enrichment and extracurriculars to actually nurture those gifts, but they should NEVER be coerced within the standard curriculum—because if they simply want to breeze through their mandated coursework without obsessing over their "potential," that is their god-given RIGHT (even if it is
a shame for those children to let such talents lie fallow)...
For what it's worth, I was one of those little Gausses back in my school days, and math didn't interest me one bit, and I would have absolutely lost my mind if someone had tried to force me into all those extra sessions and advanced modules just because I supposedly "had potential." Yes, I did, but it was equally my RIGHT to ignore that potential, to not squander my precious free time on it, and to just finish what was required by the standard American curriculum and call it a day, instead of being bullied into frantic competitions and calculus when everyone else was still struggling through Algebra 1 just because I "could"... I could, sure—but I didn't want to, because, *hell*, I wasn't interested then and I'm certainly not interested now. So this topic hits close to home, and it drives me absolutely mad to see people trying to strip away that right just so some third party doesn't feel slighted because I grasped math instantly (and don't worry, toward the end of high school, I was steadily overtaken by those who perhaps had less raw talent but possessed much greater interest and work ethic, and honestly, bravo to them! 👍). It’s the same way I don't believe I should have been forced to get an A in drawing just because I put in the effort (which I did, and despite massive effort, I only made tiny strides), nor do I harbor any trauma over mediocre grades in art class or resentment because other kids were more gifted or understood spatial relationships better than I ever did...
I remember once, when I was just a kid, begging my dad to finish a drawing for me so I could snag a better grade, and he flatly refused. I argued with him, saying, "But Dad, I'll end up with a C or a D." His response?
Just turn it in, take the C or the D, that's your grade. There was no anger, no bitterness about the fact that his daughter lacked that specific knack...
See, if THAT kind of attitude were more prevalent, instead of parents everywhere assigning endless homework to their kids, micromanaging every single detail, and paying for expensive tutors for kids who are pulling Cs and working themselves to death just so they can be "experts" at everything, we would have much more psychologically healthy children and far more realistic grading standards. At least, that is my opinion...
That is precisely why I detest the notion that we should all labor ourselves to exhaustion at everything, just so no one accidentally finds something a little easier than the rest of us. 👎
