ongoing discussion

Oct. 8, 2007 - Ongoing discussion ...
with public school friend ...
You aren't doing AJ any favors by not grading him. The whole world is going to grade him. If he doesn't figure out how to keep up(statement based on the fact that we work toward mastery of an area as opposed to working on a subject for a given period of time) ... you're just protecting him from failing.
I've had this discussion for YEARS with various people. When I taught 6th grade, I refused to give grades for homework because I wanted everyone to have every answer correct because they needed to have every question answered correctly ... (I thought it was my job to give them correct information so that the KNEW the material) ...
KIDS FREAKED OUT! I had a parent yell at me. I had a principal tell me that he thought it was a nice idea for every kid to have every answer correct on homework, but completely unrealistic. For the first semester there was someone at every turn questioning this method. The parent who questioned me even called the elementary supervisor at the main office! That was a fun meeting!
Let me make something clear ... I gave tests. Not open book, not open notes, not take home ... timed, graded tests. BUT I didn't grade every piece of paper that came across my desk ... and I didn't even keep or take up every piece of paper that came across my desk. And tests didn't come because a Lesson Plan book said it was time for a test to come. Tests came when it was clear to me that every student had been given an opportunity to master the material to the BEST OF HIS/HER ABILITY. That took way more work than simply grading every homework assignment and giving tests on a schedule. And it gave students the freedom to learn at their own pace ... students who were having trouble could utilze peer tutoring options ... students who mastered the material quickly could be engaged in some independent learning activities which expanded on the topic we were covering. Lots more to say about that, but not the point of this post!
Two students failed my class that year. One who was suspended more than he was in school ... and one who refused to do anything the entire year. The rest experienced success. They weren't all A students ... but they knew more about science, more about patience, more about diligence, more about helping your fellow student -than they knew when they entered my classroom.
Fast forward some 15 years to my homeschooling experience ... and basically, my methodology in teaching has not changed! I want AJ to learn some stuff. And there's some stuff I believe to be SO IMPORTANT that I refuse to move forward before there is mastery. Don't read that as beating it into the ground ... read it as we go over the material as much as we need to, come back to topics as many times as we need to so that he can move on to learn new skills.
How difficult is this to understand? One can not be successful at multiplying fractions until one is proficient at multiplying. (Not our problem, but you get the idea.)
I get the challenge. That's hard in a regular public school classroom. 30-35 kids, 4-5 classes per day ... no child left behind, published test scores ...
but why should it be so hard to grasp in concept! Isn't that the ideal? A student works on something until they master it and then move on to a new skill?
Not doing him any favors?
I missed the part where providing an education where he a)learns the material; b)has an opportunity to not be great at everything the very first time he tries it; c)gets to develop some of his own interests; d) isn't driven by grades and scores, but by the learning itself(on good days) is a damaging.
Could someone explain that to me??