as published on www.ocregister.com on Nov. 21, 2011
When my kindergartner brought home his first homework assignment this year, I was surprised to find that after he traced his name and counted to 100, he would be the one grading his own work. Most children — and adults for that matter -- would liberally grant themselves top score when given such an opportunity in today’s competitive world.
But leave it to a 5-year-old to deflect such guile.
I took a moment to explain the 1-4 grading scale to my son: a 1 signifying (in kinder-speak), “I didn’t even try,” a 2, “I did not get the job done,” a 3 claiming “I got the job done,” and a 4, “I got the job done, and then did more!” He pondered his options, concluded he deserved a 3, then ran off to play.
The real consternation came when I had to add my signature to a score that could have been higher. He’d done the assignment and he’d done it well. But he hadn’t done more. Should I honor his honesty or override his aversion to overachieve? As a parent, what is best?
To read entire article, click here:
Is this the best your kindergartner can do? - OC Moms - The Orange County Register
