What We Say vs. What We Do
Myself and a few other teachers were in a parent meeting the other day. During the meeting the parent asked us which, if any assignments their child could still make up. I won't divulge what was said in the meeting. But after the meeting we were standing around talking about the issues of accepting late work and which grade book style we use; marking periods or running total. The decisions about whether, when, and why to accept late work, what type of grade book to use, why, and so many others are all decisions that teachers make or think about every year. They make those decisions based on beliefs that they hold more dearly than they do other beliefs. In education it is supposed to be about the students and their learning. A noble, altruistic goal, to say the least. Is it about students and their learning? Or is that just something we say? Other factors often creep into the decision making process; funding, job security, politics, etc. At some point, what we