Topic: Grade Expectations

Grade Expectations: I Can Completely Understand Why Parents Spend More Time Teaching Girls Than Boys

Grade Expectations: I Can Completely Understand Why Parents Spend More Time Teaching Girls Than Boys

A new study is out showing that parents of young children spend more time teaching their girls lessons like reading and writing, than they do young boys. And while researchers hypothesized that boys’ squirminess and difficulty concentrating might be to blame, I have another theory of a possibly contributing factor. Over-compensation. More »

Grade Expectations: Charlie Sheen Shows Us The Exact Wrong Way To Deal With Bullies At School

Grade Expectations: Charlie Sheen Shows Us The Exact Wrong Way To Deal With Bullies At School

If you follow Charlie Sheen, and I hope you don’t, you know that his daughters are having some serious bullying problems at school, problems that no child should have to deal with no matter how insane their parents are. According to Sheen, the school and teachers did little to help his girls in the face of this difficult drama. So how does Sheen react? Try not to be shocked, but he made the whole thing worse. More »

Grade Expectations: My Daughter Might Soon Become Annoyed With All My Parent Involvement At School

Grade Expectations: My Daughter Might Soon Become Annoyed With All My Parent Involvement At School

I spend a lot of time telling people to get involved in their kids schools and classrooms! Over and over again, “Volunteer!” I tell people how rewarding it is, how important it is, how helpful it is. I sing the praises of parental involvement in the school systems. God, I sound like a nag. But now, I’m starting to wonder if all my volunteer work might not annoy my child more than it motivates her. More »

Grade Expectations: Let’s Be Cautious Pushing High Schoolers To Choose A Career Path

Grade Expectations: Let's Be Cautious Pushing High Schoolers To Choose A Career Path

When it comes to education, there’s a saying about a certain state’s influence. “As goes Texas, so goes the country.” As the largest purchaser of school textbooks, the Texas curriculum has a huge impact on the books that the rest of the country uses to teach its young people. And with Texas’s educational influence firmly established, most of the decisions by the Texas Senate Education Committee deserve our fullest attention. So let’s dive right in to their newest idea about high school graduation requirements. More »

Grade Expectations: Your Crazy Morning Routine Is Hurting Your Kid’s Grades

Grade Expectations: Your Crazy Morning Routine Is Hurting Your Kid's Grades

We all know that our morning routine is important. We want to start the day off on the right foot, and all that jazz. It’s easy to sit around and discuss the fact that everyone should be cooking a big, hardy breakfast, waking their kids up early so that they have time to really get going, and maybe even walk or bike to school instead of hopping in the car. The reality is oh so different. But it’s something that we need to address. More »

Grade Expectations: Dartmouth Refusing To Give Credit For AP Classes Only Hurts Students

Grade Expectations: Dartmouth Refusing To Give Credit For AP Classes Only Hurts Students

I am a fan of the AP system. I think it rewards a lot of hard work done by high school students who are trying to get a leg up in college. It gives these students time and opportunity to take a semester abroad or explore other academic interests. And Dartmouth University is about to lose all of that, because they’re refusing to grant credit to students who passed their AP tests. More »

Grade Expectations: The Last Two Weeks Of School In December Are Worthless

Grade Expectations: The Last Two Weeks Of School In December Are Worthless

Who here remembers the last two weeks of school in December? I’m talking about before finals were an issue for anyone to worry about. I mean in elementary school. Who remembers their backsides falling asleep in their wooden chairs as the class watched movies and played corny games and generally acted like they were attending the most boring daycare on the planet, not an educational facility? More »

Grade Expectations: I Just Got Shamed For Being Stingy With My School Holiday Gifts

Grade Expectations: I Just Got Shamed For Being Stingy With My School Holiday Gifts

Yesterday, I walked into my daughter’s after-school care with holiday treats in hand. I was delivering cookies for teachers, assistants, and administrative staff, as well as books for my little girl to give her teachers. It’s always a good feeling, giving out cookies and presents. My holiday spirit was suddenly ruined though when I got some serious snark from a couple of employees who obviously felt that I wasn’t doing enough for the entire staff. More »

Grade Expectations: The Biggest Challenge Facing Public Schools Is A Lack Of Trust In Teachers

Grade Expectations: The Biggest Challenge Facing Public Schools Is A Lack Of Trust In Teachers

Parents and politicians alike spent plenty of time diagnosing the myriad of problems with public schools. We talk about the lack of funding, the crumbling facilities, and the difficult task of measuring effectiveness. I think all of those discussions are important. But as I was reading about a man who helped teachers cheat on their board exams, I couldn’t help but acknowledge that there’s an underlying problem wreaking havoc on schools. It’s the lack of trust that parents have in their children’s teachers. More »

Grade Expectations: My Daughter’s School Went On Emergency Lockdown And I Barely Survived

Grade Expectations: My Daughter’s School Went On Emergency Lockdown And I Barely Survived

We all know that our children’s schools have an emergency protocol. It’s not just the fire drills where everyone stands around whispering on the playground. Not just the tornado drills where you have to bend down with your butt in the air and hands covering your neck. There’s another emergency protocol. It’s what happens if a child goes missing. Or if a suspicious person is hanging around the playground. This is the emergency protocol for a human threat, not a natural one. And that’s the kind of emergency protocol my daughter’s school had to put into place last week. More »

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