I'd have thought that A of any sort would indicate excellent work.

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I'd have thought that A of any sort would indicate excellent work.

Yep, this. Sometimes going beyond is what moves an A- to a solid A, but sometimes it's just the depth of the argument/stance, etc. I give very few solid A grades, so my students have come to view their A-s with justifiable pride.

ETA:
The standards may be different for his age, however. What grade is he in now? He's in middle school, right? In that case, I think you may be right. Effort usually is what keeps an A- from an A n those years.

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I'm sorry he's bummed, but you're absolutely right about the doing-everything-right vs. doing-something-extra. Would it work to explain it in baseball terms? I mean, not baseball report terms, but actual baseball terms -- the guy who's good enough to be the leadoff hitter on his team, vs. the guy who's already got that spot sewn up, but does the extra training to be the star even if he doesn't have to?

Only, without the steroids.

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He's in middle school, right? In that case, I think you may be right. Effort usually is what keeps an A- from an A n those years.

I'm pretty sure that's what it was. Earlier this year he did a project on Mexico and he got an A-minus and his mom was annoyed that he didn't ask her more about it (since she lived there for a year). Similarly, on his magazine project he didn't ask his dad (a former magazine editor) how to make his magazine better.

I'm sorry he's bummed, but you're absolutely right about the doing-everything-right vs. doing-something-extra. Would it work to explain it in baseball terms? I mean, not baseball report terms, but actual baseball terms -- the guy who's good enough to be the leadoff hitter on his team, vs. the guy who's already got that spot sewn up, but does the extra training to be the star even if he doesn't have to?

I'm not sure what the baseball equivalent is except maybe the baserunner who takes the extra base whenever the defense is lackadaisical. The killer instinct to exploit an opportunity. Or possibly Curt Schilling's blood sock triumph. The difference between being good in the playoffs and being legendary.

I'll try those.

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Or possibly Curt Schilling's blood sock triumph. The difference between being good in the playoffs and being legendary.

Does he know how much homework Schilling does? The man S.T.U.D.I.E.S his opponents. I swear I've seen him sitting in the duggout with a laptop. And then he plays with both skill and heart.

I doubt you guys were watching the Diamondbacks in the Baby-Backs years, when they'd brought up that red-headed kid Chad Tracy a couple years before he should have been ready to play Major League third base. One of his first games, he reached so far over the rails to catch a fly ball, grounds crew had to catch him before he face-planted on the other side. That's going beyond "what you are supposed to do". I dunno if Tracy as a mature player is going to reach legendary skill level, but he's got epic heart. Would that help?

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I have tried the yoga. I don't know how I feel about it yet. Though my ambivalence may be directly proportional to how much I suck at it. We'll see how it goes in the coming weeks.

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We'll see how it goes in the coming weeks.

I found that while improving my flexibility was slow (but steady), what I noticed happened quickly was a real improvement in the balance pose that I could be proud of.

No wonder my students think I'm a tough grader -- there's no way I'd give an A (of any kind) to a student that just met the requirements, even if they did them well. I reserve As for the people that went above and beyond and showed they'd know how to transport what I'd been trying to teach them to different situations. In my defense, I make this very clear, and give them examples before they hand in any work. Of course, my classes of law students are filled with over-achievers, so the rewards have to be proportionally different.

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No wonder my students think I'm a tough grader -- there's no way I'd give an A (of any kind) to a student that just met the requirements, even if they did them well. I reserve As for the people that went above and beyond

So do I , Sparky. I think that's the big difference between middle school and high school/college, though.

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Not necessarily. For my first three years in a school with grades, I could count on one hand the number of As I gave. And these were highly motivated, occasionally gifted students.

A work has to be exemplary and not just merely proficient. And a C means a kid has met the standards as given.

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Very valid point. My experience has been that most of the middle school teachers I work with tend to grade higher, but I shouldn't generalize. Apologies.

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