Is this wise parenting? Not only do we think not, but also we are of the opinion that it would be bad school policy for us at MUS for a number of reasons. We're talking about parents having instant online access to their son's daily grades. While this blog does not speak for the official school position (I guess ours would be "not in favor" in that we don't offer the service!), the discussion is something of which we are well aware.
Big picture: There are different seasons in a school-aged student's life; the macro-divisions of elementary, middle, and high school being the broad definitions for this discussion. As a middle school principal who teaches high school classes and who has elementary school children of his own, I find myself at a unique, practical crossroads of this popular discussion. While admittedly I am no expert on the subject (is anyone?), I defer to our wise instructors who have spent years in the field producing able students who prove themselves capable at various levels.
These teachers, in large number, will tell you that their grade book is not akin to daily stock numbers from the market. For that matter, even your broker will tell you not to watch the market numbers every day. General trends over reasonable periods are a better indication of real performance. Short term volatility is going to happen. A major drop in a stock, say 10%, should be immediately addressed. Grades are similar. Our teachers are going to talk with a student who performs out of the norm in order to see what may be going on.
Often assembled with objective data from daily work, the simple grade book may not tell the best, complete story of everything in a student's performance. Students are individual works in progress not to be treated as up-to-the-minute data point producers. We think you will agree.
While I can see elementary school as more of the proper place for the most aggressive monitoring of grades, what my wife and I experience through the weekly results brought to the home via the student (the tests, papers, assignments to be signed and returned) is a wonderfully effective system. Yes, it takes time to sift through the packet, but this should be a serious parental priority on a weekly basis. We get a good glimpse of progress or lack thereof. The online option of checking grades weekly is available to us, and quite frankly, we don't use it. We prefer touching the paper, seeing penmanship...or attempts at such...
In an effort to meet rising demand from parents who want more frequent access to their son's grades, we're responding and meeting them in the middle. At MUS effective the next school year, we will require all Lower School students to record their grades in their assignment books. It will be Lower School policy. If a student chooses not to write down his grades, he will be in violation of fair and reasonable school rules. If he does not represent his actual scores faithfully to his parents (deliberately omits a bad grade, for example) such an action would be an issue of the student's character. That will be a family issue to be settled between the student and his parents.
Here's the rationale of insisting that the boys record their own grades as they come in during their individual classes versus teachers entering grades for parents to stalk: to produce well-rounded young men of strong moral character (our mission) we think that the boy having some skin in the game is much better policy for our middle school-age students in opposition to teachers loading grades and parents tempted to discuss the results with a teacher before discussing the issue with their son. For our students to write down their own grades helps make them grow up and learn accountability, honesty, and responsibility. We want students to learn to bear the weight of their own actions, therefore when they have to record their marks, good and bad, and know that they are the delivery agent of truth, they tend to pay more attention. More, boys remaining in elementary school patterns are boys denied the unique human dynamic associated with maturing adolescent boys learning to face the consequences of their actions, good and bad. Look, we already subject them to a rigorous Honor Code. Boys faithfully recording their own grades is an extension of the culture of accountability.
Of course parent involvement helps students as the article states. However, this assumes wise involvement, allowing for proper, gradual distance afforded to the boy associated with healthy accountability and appropriate confrontation as is necessary for young persons. "Trust and verify" as we like to say. Allowing our growing young men the opportunity to report their grades personally is a start. Let's see if it satisfies the demand for more grade access while helping the boys mature.
