Reading out grades in class...

[LaraK]

To quote a great philosopher "Life is pain Highness. Anyone who says differently is trying to sell you something."

In real life, achievement equals recognition. You don't always get a trophy and sometimes even though you try really hard, you still get the shaft.

Not that I'm a cynic or anything.

 

[happygirl]

Not a big deal. How in the world does this differen then honor roll? Or National honor society

 

[simba928]

I had a teacher in high school that would call out all grades in class. Everyone had the option to have her not say the grade, but of course no one spoke up and told her not to. She would call out our name, we would reply with either a "yes" for her to say our grade or just get up and walk to her desk to not say it. It never bothered me and I don't really think it bothered anyone else in my class.

 

[nmmom95]

Not a big deal. How in the world does this differen then honor roll? Or National honor society

MTE

 

[Buckalew11]

Are you ready for this one? If your school receives any funding from the U.S. Department of Education, announcing any grade is illegal. You are not allowed to "publish" student grades without permission.

I remember teachers calling kids up to the desk to see their grades, and kids saying that it was okay to say it out loud. Other than that, I don't think I've ever had teachers who read everyone's grades out loud without asking first.

I'm like 30 yrs. older than you and I remember this. Also, I remember our teacher calling our names and he would call out your grade if you wanted him too and if you did NOT want him to, you walked up to his desk to see your grade. I'd ALWAYS walk up to his desk and he'd always whisper and ask me, "Why do you do this?" I was an A student and I was embarrassed to have everyone know my grades. I would rather them think I was a bit more average than almost always making A's. It was a bit like bragging or something and it really bothered me.

I remember getting 100% on my U.S. History exam in 10th grade. My teacher handed back the test and said, "If anyone wants to know the answers, ask Loreli- she got 100%" I wanted to DIE. Everyone looked at me like I was BRAGGING.

In HS, in family living class, I made 100% on the sex-ed PRE-test. I was so embarrassed whe the teacher made that same remark to my class. THEN to make matters worse, to every class for the rest of the day she said, "If you want to know anything about sex, ask Brenda ____."
I was probably one of the few virgins in that class! It was so embarrassing. I had a BIL who gave me the facts of life talk and he made sure I knew all that stuff in HS. There were kids in that class who thought babies grew in mother's stomaches. Give me a break!!

 

[Had2stopLurking]

It's equally embarrassing to the person who does the best sometimes. I had a professor in my undergrad that would announce that I blew the curve on the exam (I usually missed one or two questions, but I studied my booty off and went in for help if I didn't understand something too) so most people would groan and give me looks (jokingly).

Needless to say, I usually ended up with a big study group for major exams, lol. Made a lot of friends though, so that was good

H2SL

 

[tink_n_pooh]

When I was in high school (gasp... 10 years ago) we had teachers that called out everyones grades on some tests, not every test from what I remember but it was often enough. Yes, I said EVERYONES grade. Parents didn't complain, the teacher never got in trouble and I'm still alive Sure if you didn't do well it could be embarrassing but it was inspiration to do better next time

 

[bumbershoot]

I would have generally been one of the 90% or higher kids, and I HATED having that sort of thing made known to others. I had a hard enough time just answering questions in class, one b/c of my shyness, but also because I just wasn't interested in being the "smart kid". From 1st to 3rd I was in the "gifted" section and it was embarrassing to leave class on the days that they sent us to the jr HS to do the class. In 3rd grade I was sent to the 4th grade room for English and I hated that.

By the end of 8th grade I was so DONE with being a "smart kid" that I dumbed myself down and went into the lower English classes and didn't do all that well b/c I never studied. (by the end of 10th grade I'd had enough of that, culminating in the day that I'd been in school with since 1st grade whined over having to read a story at home...all 19 pages of it, and I bumped myself up to Honors and did much better)

So calling my name out like this teacher was doing would have gone a very opposite way than they would have intended...would have been highly detrimental.

 

[bumbershoot]

It's equally embarrassing to the person who does the best sometimes. I had a professor in my undergrad that would announce that I blew the curve on the exam (I usually missed one or two questions, but I studied my booty off and went in for help if I didn't understand something too) so most people would grown and give me looks (jokingly).

That happened with DH and math classes. Except people were truly angry with him, and it wasn't joking when they made comments.

 

[Stacerita]

There are worst things happening in school than teachers praising students for doing good work.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

I can't speak for the entire country, but I know in PA students have a right to privacy regarding their grades (it may be national, I just don't know) in a public k-12 school. If grades/missing assignments are posted, it must be by the students school number.

Now, I can hear posters chime in and say, well, they just tell each other their grades anyway. True, but then that's THEIR responsibility, not the teacher's or the school's.

I just retired from teaching middle school for over 20 years.

I live in PA and my sons teacher announces the grades. Plus the kids correct each others papers and mothers of the students come in to file test and assignment papers for the teacher.

My son is a straight A student and I do have a problem with this. Kids are made fun of when their grades are constantly bad. My son tells me about it all the time. Plus I've heard the busybodies talking about how "joey" scored bad on his math test. And "Jane" scored bad on her science test and these kids weren't theirs so obviously these parents seen these kids papers during the filing they did for the teacher.

As PP's have stated now with so many kids being mainstreamed, its not fair. How would you feel if you tried the best you possibly could time after time and still ended up with C's and D's. I'd be discouraged after a while, thats for sure. Some things come easier for kids.

IMOP, honor roll is different. Its a combination of the grades a GPA. Not the teacher announcing, Johnny got an F on his social studies test.

If she just announced , say the A's or above....fine. But to go through every grade . Plus the kids correcting each others work....drives me nuts. She has a policy too, if a kid doesn't do his homework then his homework partner must tell the teacher his partners homework isn't done. If they don't , they are supposed to be punished. Happened to my son: His homework partner didn't do his homework (2nd page) by the time DS flipped the page his teacher was on the phone with someone. He didn't want to interrrupt so waited. A girl in their class seen the boys paper, interrrupted the teacher and told her the boy didn't do his homework, . She tried to give my son detention because she said he was dishonest. I told her , he was going to tell you, you were on the phone. Plus you just gave my son detention for not telling on his classmate. DS never had to serve the detention, because I don't like the kids correcting each others papers and especially that she expects them to turn in their classmates for incomplete work. I'll be happy when this year is over!

 

[luvsJack]

Everyone keeps saying "when I was in school. . . ", it reminds me of grandpa saying "I walked to school for five miles, barefoot" Just because that was the way it was done, does not make it right.

I don't disagree with a teacher doing this as long as she finds a way to commend students that got a lower grade but tried just as hard (not necessarily in front of the class, but in some way). I just think that the "when I was in school. . . " reasoning for everything is a bit tired.

I remember teachers doing a lot of things when I was in school. I remember a teacher calling down a student from getting too close to classmates because she had been out with a contagious illness (she was well and no longer contagious). The teacher yelled from the front of the classroom, "Susan, get away from the other kids. They may get what you have!". Where was she supposed to go? It was done, the girl lived through it and I assume she finished school without other issues. Doesn't make it right.

I remember a teacher making fun of a student because he couldn't be completely still. Really and truly could not physically keep completely still. I am assuming he was severely ADHD, but we didn't know it then. I am sure that one thing didn't cause him to have a total breakdown, but that didn't make it right for that teacher to do that.

A lot of things were done back when many of us were in school. People learned why those weren't the best ways to do things. If schools do not allow teachers to call out grades there may very well be a good reason for it. It may be that they now know there is a better reason for NOT doing it than there ever was for doing it.

 

[MariDisney]

Won't get any sympathy from me! Just this morning I called out the 100s on the spelling pre-tests. Anyone I didn't call knows they didn't make 100. Guess they need to try harder next time.

I haven't read past the first page, so I apologize if this has been addressed. I ask this with the utmost respect. Don't you WANT the students to do poorly on the pre-test so you can see that you will be teaching things they don't already know? If many get 100 on the pre-test then they don't need the unit, right? Also, how can you try harder on a pre-test if they are items you have not yet been taught?

All that asked, I'm not sure I disagree with the idea of reading grades out. Haven't made up my mind.

 

[hereyago]

Seriously, the parents who complained in OP's kid school.

Instead of being upset about why the teacher announced who got high scores, maybe those parents needs to figure out how to help her kid get better grades, figure out if her kid didn't quite understand, or if her kid didn't do the homework, etc.

Peer pressure can be both negative and positive.

 

[Spoonful of Sugar]

I don't see anything wrong with reading out the 90+ grades. It's not like all the kids whose names didn't get mentioned did horribly. They could have got in the 80s and that's still okay, the other kids aren't going to think they're stupid, so what's the big deal?

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Seriously, the parents who complained in OP's kid school.

Instead of being upset about why the teacher announced who got high scores, maybe those parents needs to figure out how to help her kid get better grades, figure out if her kid didn't quite understand, or if her kid didn't do the homework, etc.

Peer pressure can be both negative and positive.

Maybe they already know. Maybe they are already working on it.

Maybe it isn't any of the "A" kids or the other students business.

 

[hereyago]

But the teachers arent yelling out' so and so, you got an F, you will never amount to anything". People just really need to stop being PC and sensitive.

If my kid is doing not so hot with her grades, the last thing I am going to be concerned about is if the teacher announced who got the higher grades.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

But the teachers arent yelling out' so and so, you got an F, you will never amount to anything". People just really need to stop being PC and sensitive.

If my kid is doing not so hot with her grades, the last thing I am going to be concerned about is if the teacher announced who got the higher grades.

I wouldn't necessarily tell--but it doesn't mean that it is PC to respect an otherwise private piece of information.

And as others have pointed out--children have ways to figure things out on their own.

And as others have pointed out--sometimes it embarrasses the "A" kids when that action is taken.

 

[taximomfor4]

MHO...there are so many things to get up in arms about, this issue isn't even a blip on the radar. And just for the record, I was one of those kids that hid my excellent grades from others. Even I didn't mind the occasional teacher who recognized the highest scores in some way.

Oh, and my 4 kids are all over the place. One would have hardly ever, EVER had her name announced as a high score. But when she did, I think she'd have been thrilled. 2 would have their names read out regularly (but not always) although my ds seems to be starting to let his A's slide into B's. And the other child would rarely, if ever, have the A instead of the B. So it's not that I'd just like MY kids to be recognized.

 

[scottishduffy]

I just don't understand the philosophy of not recognizing those kids that are talented in some arena.

The best athletes get picked first and get more play time. If it really means a lot to you then work harder and try your best.

If you are a smart, and apply yourself, then you can get awards and recognition there. Getting your name called in class is a small positive recognition for your efforts.

It seems nowadays the theme is to just praise everyone all the time for no reason! But when a child is genuinely taslented or genuinely worked harded to achieve a superior result at something then we must be hush-hush on this matter in order to not upset others. It makes all effort appear hollow. It makes all praise seem fake (which it is!).

Recognition for actual effort and constructive criticism in areas where you need work might me a bit painful at times, but is necessary! Kids need to learn to take this early on so once they get to college and the adult world they can better handle it. I can tell you that in my residency right now they don't give a flying leap about your gentle little feelings. You have to earn peoples trust... and i can tell you the most fabulous feeling in the world is getting a good evaluation or a pat on the back from a tough preceptor.

I really don't think you would want me providing your anesthesia if I was a poor provider, but in the interest of not hurting my feeling the Doctors had just let me slide..... I'm sure you would understand my gentle little feelings. I know reading grades is leaps and bounds away from here, but dealing with smaller dissapointments and achievments in childhood prepares you for bigger ones later on.

All this is coming from a kid who was a total athletic geek. I was a semi-smart kid but not deans list or anything. However, when i realized I was very good at science i started applying myself there, and looking forward to having my name called as a top grade on the science tests.