By Kathryn M. Núñez (5th Grade Teacher)
As the first round of marks close, the word “REPORT CARDS” becomes ever more present in the minds of the parents, students, and yes, even the teachers.
From the parent’s perspective, you’re mostly worried about:
- Whether or not your child has performed at the average for his/her grade level
- If the grades reflect your child’s effort
- Will this report card reflect the need for extra help.
From the teacher’s perspective, we are worried about:
- Whether the report card reflects that the class has grasped the material presented.
From the student’s perspective, he/she is worried about:
- Mom or Dad’s or guardian’s (or all of the above!) approval
- Whether or not he/she did better than a classmate
- If he/she made honors
- If the grades reflect his/her effort
The first report card is truly a reflection of the hardest part of your child’s school year. Your child was in the process of getting use to a new teacher, a new teaching method, possibly new classmates, and with each year the increase of material to learn and the demands required to pass that certain grade level.
In Part II of our series we will outline some key tips for you, the Tween parents, to help your most precious treasure survive his/her first report card this year. The most important factor is creating an atmosphere that drives development of strong self-confidence. Tweens need self confidence NOW so they build success for the rest of their educational development.
Kathryn M. Núñez is a certified 5th grade teacher with over seven years of experience.
