Wagon Trails and Stardust:
The Real Purpose of Report Cards
By Sylvia Robinson, Ph.D., RMCA Curriculum & Instruction Director

Have you looked at any of your old report cards lately? As I get older, I have noticed that my memories of childhood are, shall we say, somewhat romanticized. I often ask my parents things like, "I never acted like that, did I?" And, as you may have guessed, they usually laugh and say, "Do you really want to know the truth or do you want us to lie?" So it goes with my old report cards as well. Now, while they may not be as bad as some of Mr. King's early report cards (and I have permission to say that!) there were a few surprises on those permanent records of my childhood study habits. Suffice it to say, what I remembered as a "stellar scholastic career" was more of a bumpy wagon ride than a rocket to the moon.

Growth and learning is the aim of education. Resist the temptation to accept a good report card with a smile, pat your child on the back, and breathe a sigh of relief that another grading period is over and the family emerged unscathed. This is not the point of learning at all. In fact, the best students reflect on what they learned and didn't learn, how they learned it, and what they could do better next time. Even a good report card deserves some reflection. Encourage your child to ask some important questions like, "Would God be pleased with what I did and learned at school?" And, "Am I proud of what I did and learned at school?" Parents should react with appropriate praise for good grades, but also teach their children to ask the right questions, too.

How should you react when your child brings home a disappointing report card? It is important to offer encouragement to your child regarding what is good about the report card first. Then, when you and your child are ready, talk about what subjects or behaviors are particularly challenging. Recognize that everyone can’t be great at everything and that God created each of us with particular strengths and weaknesses. Encourage some thinking about whether God would be pleased and whether your child is proud of his or her efforts. I was pleased to hear one RMCA parent describe how she and her husband deal with report cards. They sit down with each of their children and gently discuss each mark on the report card, with special attention to the “Character Development” and “Classroom Habits” sections.

Either way, set some goals with your child. Whether the report card is good, bad, or somewhere in between, the discussion should lead to how the positive traits can continue and how the areas of improvement can be addressed. It is especially helpful, at this point, to determine whether character development and/or classroom habits are positively or negatively affecting academics. The best way to do this is to ask questions like, “What would help you finish your assignments on time?” Or, “What makes this work/behavior difficult for you?” And, “Are you trying to do too many things outside of school that are keeping you from focusing on schoolwork?” Then, help your child set one or two goals that are related to what you have discovered (ex. I will complete my homework in a quiet place before dinnertime. Or, I will read my literature assignments for 20 minutes each night instead of waiting for the weekends to do all the reading.).

A report card is not a crystal ball. Your own experience will tell you that a report card is not an indicator of whether your child will grow up to be a well-adjusted, successful adult. You know people who were straight A students and are failing in life. You know others who were not on the Honor Roll but are roaring successes. Education is definitely important for growth, but a report card is simply a snapshot of progress at a particular time in your child’s development and education. The real purpose of a report card is to prompt reflection on learning that has recently occurred in order to improve future learning experiences throughout life. It may be that your child is down in a wagon rut right now or they may be on that rocket to the moon. Whichever one applies, our job, as parents, is to help them learn to reflect and grow.

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