I decided to go for a quick little poem today:
Report Cards
Finding the perfect comments
Looking for inspiration
Searching for the best words
Trying to find balance
Grades on paper
Grades online
Grades to the parents
Grades on time
Is there an easier way?
To keep everyone happy
while telling the truth
and showing student growth
and meeting the Standards
So many things to consider in such a short time
Back to work
finishing these grades of mine!
Teaching Wanderlust 
Isn’t grading complex? We write narrative comments along with letter grades at my school, and I always feel like mine don’t quite measure up to the potential of what a good comment could be. Good luck with your grading!
LikeLike
Wow! Great job. I would love to see an example of what your school’s report cards look like!
LikeLike
Oh the commenting! It always took so long since I wanted to get it just-right. Now that I’m a parent, I am thankful I allowed it to take so long since I know how much those comments mean to me now.
LikeLike
That is good to hear. Sometimes I worry that nobody even reads the comments after I have spent so much time carefully weighing each word!
LikeLike
It is such a challenge to find that balance, to say all you have to say, in the small space allowed, by the deadline. Ours go home today.
LikeLike
Indeed! I always just hope the family and student will show up to conferences so I can talk to them in person. Ha, but even the 15-20 minute conferences we have are not enough (especially since there is time spent translating some stuff from English/Spanish).
LikeLike
Nicely done! Reports are hard for so many reasons!
LikeLike
Thanks. It is nice to hear since this might be my first publicly shared poem! I was a little nervous about sharing!
LikeLike
Report cards are my least favorite thing in the world! I love how you captured all of the feelings and emotions that are involved with the distribution end. I love these lines: “To keep everyone happy while telling the truth.” I wonder if there’s an easier or better way too.
LikeLike
I remember that there is this private school in Portland where some of my friends taught at. They would write at least a full page of comments instead of traditional report cards. I feel like if we have to make comments, a whole page is best, and if I’m writing a full page I would much rather do that instead of a traditional letter grade. I think most report cards are just a quick snapshot of where a student is academically, while an actual conversation, or at the school I mentioned, an actual page of comments might be more helpful.
LikeLike
You’ve captured the struggles of report cards perfectly! I will be facing these fun times next week as I work on report cards too.
Jennifer
LikeLike
My comments need to be done by Wednesday in addition to their final grades. I will be working hard this weekend so I can avoid long nights of report card writing on the weekdays ahead. Sigh.
Good luck Jennifer!
LikeLike
Just finished mine today! Not much room for comments. Although I wonder whether comments should be best kept for in-person meetings.
LikeLike
We are required to make comments on the report cards and we are supposed to touch on each subject, something that needs improving, and include a goal for the next quarter. I would rather leave comments for the conference, but they are useful as a teacher if you are looking at reports from previous years to find clues about current students.
LikeLike
That’s true, I do read comments from previous years teachers. Those usually spur further conversations about the student with those teachers.
LikeLike
I try to resist looking at the report cards from previous years until I have had a chance to get to know my students first. Then, if I am curious I will take a look. But, sometimes they do give a lot of insight!
LikeLike
Yes you said a mouthful! This gets the tension, the time, and the thought that goes in trying to explain the complex mature of learning on a piece of paper.
LikeLike
Yes. Learning is so complex and to reflect it on a couple of sheets of paper (or in the case of my school- 6 pages of standards), it isn’t quite enough.
LikeLike
You told the truth about report cards and it was fun to read! It’s always hard for me to rhyme and keep meaning. You did this very well! You asked for some quick ideas about incorporating poetry into your classroom. I love using the idea of Poetry Friday. It is the one day of the week we don’t switch classes. I start out the day by sharing some poems, introduce a poet, or share a new poetry book. There is a book called “Poetry Friday” by Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardelle that helped me get started. It is FULL of poems and resources. Some of the resources I use frequently are the “Poem Farm” site and Laura Purdie Salis’ site. Both have poems and activities. If you start there you will have plenty to get you started. Once you are into it keep on the lookout for poems that go along with a book you are reading, a topic you are teaching, or for a fun break when you find you have a few minutes. I keep a poetry book by my rocker and in my desk. This year I’ve discovered I can use poems to teach so many of there craft moves I want my students to be aware of in all of the writing I do, so I often use a poem in our writing workshop time too. Some advice–read your kids a ton of poems before you ask them to write. Also, find poems that don’t have rhyming to use as examples. You are very good at rhyming but kids often ruin their poems by trying to rhyme. Good luck! My Poetry Port is a new addition to my class blog and I will continue to share the things we are trying. Visit there for some ideas too. Good luck with report cards. We have conferences only in the spring and final report cards at the end of the year. They are only 15 minutes but I do appreciate being able to have a conversation.
LikeLike
Thank you for the great ideas! I will be sure to check out the resources you listed. I will try to start reading my students some poems this coming week to gear up for March!
LikeLike
I find comments such useful things, we had already a student whose psychologist used also school comments for helping diagnose of Attention disorder.
LikeLike
I always worry that the parents don’t care about the comments that I write on the report cards. I am happy to hear that some people find them useful!
LikeLike
Pingback: 2015: In Review | Teaching Wanderlust·