November 14, 2008
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All A’s (almost)
Ms. almost-11 (teary-eyed, screaming): Mom, it was a mistake! I’m great at math! Math is easy for me!
Me (teeth-clenched sotto voce): Honey – I’ll look into it, but I’m sure your teachers are grading consistently. You need to understand that sometimes you just don’t do A work.
Ms. Almost: Friend X and Friend Y got A’s, and they’re worse than me! I know they made a mistake! I hate you! You just don’t ever believe me!
Me (losing out a bit on the sotto): Honey. I will look into it. And Then We Will Talk.
Dear Teacher:
Ms. Almost was extremely upset last night about her ‘B’ grade in math. She insisted that she finds math easy and (of course!) that Friend X and Friend Y, who got A’s, are “a lot worse in math than I am!” She also claims to have completed all the homework and to have done well on tests.
I certainly realize that there’s a large number of potential reasons that she earned a grade that surprises her. I think our key job at tonight’s parent-teacher conference will be to explain carefully and as thoroughly as possible why she got a B and how the grades are objectively derived using consistent criteria across all students. I’ll do the best I can to support your explanation. My goal is to assist her to accept that she did earn the grade she received (as opposed to having it given to her ‘by mistake’). I’m looking for your help in doing this.
Thank you in advance for helping us to help Ms. Almost improve her performance,
Faith
Faith: After your email, I have looked over Almost’s grades and realize I have made a grave error. I must have gotten lost on my grade book when I was recording grades and put the wrong letter grade down. She does in fact have an A and we will quickly correct the error on her card. I am soooooo sorry to have caused her undo stress.
o_OSic passeth THAT life’s lesson…….
Comments (9)
d’oh! well, just imagine the joy that she will be wallowing in after she’s informed she was right. Being vindicated against mother and teacher and friends? sooooo good when you’re 11.
Bahaha she’ll be incorrigible!
Well, good for her!!!
Weird, though. I’m very glad she didn’t let up about this. But I understand you not taking it 100% seriously. I think I would have possibly reacted the same way!
i already know the “Look” she gave you. ah, there’s nothing like a smug almost 11 year old. haughty.
shoooot. if i’d've ever had a B in math my parents would’ve thought i’d been invaded by aliens or i paid off the teacher. [NOT my best subject, yo.]
actually i did semi-bribe my way out of an F once. drew posters and went from the dreaded F to a B in a week. *whew* [damned lewis and clark and their westward expansion...pff.]
Shoot. Weren’t they Ms. 4 and Ms. 6 just the other day? (Other people’s kids always grow faster than your own.)
I think it’s good to not automatically take her side… and I think it’s good that she has such confidence about her math skills. Perhaps that fact that you had a lesson to learn this time, and not her, is just gravy.
Oh my, and how did it go? You’re a great mom!
What a crazy story!!!
Truth is: she, like many smart women, will probably not deal with injustices well. I almost think it is worse knowing you can do something about things that aren’t fair. It is almost a burden not being able to accept defeat, because in the end it feels like a personal failure when the injustice prevails, which let’s face it, happens a lot. She’ll probably struggle with that somewhere down the road…
11 already!!?? Wow she will be good baby sitter material for me in a few years (sooner?) LOL
Ahhh- parenthood! Ain’t it grand?! Just when we thinks we is in the driver’s seat, the chillin’ stop the car and make us sit in the back seat.
I can relate to Ms. Almost’s side of the story. ‘s all I’m sayin’.