Ah, progress reports

I am of the belief that the progress report is a brilliant and senseless invention on the part of the educational system.

It exists to show students and parents where a child stands halfway through the quarter and if they can raise their grade or if it will slip if a student continues to keep up their current pattern of behavior. In theory it's a piece of genius. In actuality a student's grade can go from an A to an F in 5 weeks if they really want it to, so a student who has an A at progress reports might not keep it come report cards.

For teachers, they're helpful because you'll notice a student struggling and then the entire quarter isn't a complete wash, but at the same time they're pretty time consuming. Not as time consuming as, say, report cards, but they still require a lot of effort. You need to add up grades and decide where a student is and if they're in danger of slipping. You also need to write up behavior notes for particular students, and some parents request that their child get a progress report no matter what, so you need to make sure you don't miss those kids.

And for those in my position, you need to track down the teachers and give them grades ASAP. You might get lucky and then there are some who have grades done 2 weeks before they're due, thus rendering your comments and hard work completely pointless.

As a parent, I'd look forward to getting a progress report. As a teacher, I usually want one or two more weeks to crank them out. However, in the first quarter we're all a little more motivated, so getting them done is a chore, but then it's over and you can move on to the next lesson. In the 4h quarter, you have to complete your grades and then come up with about a week's worth of lessons and homework to keep them busy and working and on their toes as long as possible. And lemme tell ya, it's not easy once the warm weather sets in and you see the sun for the first time in ages. The kids are climbing the walls to get out, and the teachers aren't far behind.

::sigh:: Back to the grind. Three classes done, 3 more to go.