Grading & Meeting Needs: A Retired Teacher reflects

by Paul Ruez, M. Ed.

The following may have value for anyone in the position of stewardship.

Students and parents may wonder, “Is that teacher (and how they grade) fair, equitable, respectable, etc.?”

In a perfect world where we were trained to behave compassionately, thoughtfully, and yes lovingly, and take responsibility for our choices, the answer may be… yes. But we live in a greed based, I-Me-Mine - I want it now, power-rules, society where people suffer from the fallout or consequences of these unnecessary and tragic behaviors.

I believe the bottom line here rests on the shoulders of the person in the mirror. I have found that our Level of Awareness (LOA) is key to this discussion. LOA is a fundamental Workplace and Life Skill. Seeing behavior, such as the incivility epidemic today, I suggest that with some people’s LOA, the “mirror” and self-assessment process is still unknown and needs to be taught, learned and practiced.

The curriculum I developed, titled Restorative & Workplace Skills includes this awareness blended into my Decision Making, Goal Setting, Conflict Resolution and Job Finding curriculum. I am honored to collaborate and support all who are interested in applying this at all ages as an alternative to just feeling and behaving mad, sad, violated, or entitled.

How might this unwind in the world of assessment or ‘grading’?

A, B, C, D, F ... Is this fair? Does it work? How does it translate in the world? How does it play out in the work world, the continuing education world and in the personal world?

If the students are going to learn behavior that motivates them academically, professionally and personally in life, I need to be clear about what the end result of the prescribed lesson or work needs to look like.

These are basic life communication skills we are teaching and mentoring here. Ponder just for a minute and consider that we are needs driven individuals, i.e., Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Dr. Marshall Rosenberg’s Non Violent Communication* (NVC) needs based model. How we choose to behave to get those needs met, determines our quality of life and what kind of world we create and live in.

In the classroom, of course this is not new but for me it became more important and obvious while teaching and learning from home during the pandemic. Not being able to easily watch the work being performed and give guidance, I rewrote and fine-tuned my step-by-step instructions to include visual instructional rubrics which included short videos. Rubrics are simply tools used to communicate needs and show how those needs are to be met.

Did this create more work? Oh yes indeed, but it saved much more time for the students and me versus the cost of chasing each and every student whose performance was in need and saved time required to research missed or misunderstood parts of their lesson. This provided a safety net for the students to help them learn more the first time around, avoid frustration and, for some, not give up. It also provided a learning context for getting the kids together to help each other when the higher performers helped their friends in need. They could do this on their own because they had the rubric and knew how to connect with each other, and I found that this was a non-threatening tool to give to those parents who are willing to take an active role with their children.

Another important piece of this is that the students learn what doable instructions look like. I consider this a vital life skill. In personal, professional and in continuing education endeavors we all need to know what doable instructions look like. This will help us translate unclear expectations into clearer ones and be able to move toward success as opposed to going down the dark hole of missed targets. That dark hole leads to blame, shame, depression, and casts a debilitating cloud over the student and the entire learning community. I find that using these communication tools helps me enjoy teaching and supports both the kids who suffer under such clouds and the super stars alike.

In the classroom, when performance standards missed the mark, the rubric served as a nonjudgmental road map to reaching the targets.

For the students who were no-shows, bail-outs or were just a bit confused I could refer them to a specific rubric and point them to the steps required in those instructions. The rubric becomes the students’ self-grading assessment worksheet.

A, B, C, D, F? So, is there a one size fits all way of showing how close the students came to reaching the goals of the lesson? Is it subject specific? Do they get a trophy for “trying?” Teachers had better figure this out and administrators need to facilitate it because in the real world our livelihoods and sanity and family life are hinged on us having some mastery of these skills. These skills are essential in order to enjoy happy, prosperous and compassionate lives.

For those who only know how to react when having their hot buttons pushed and then fly off the handle any way they want and take no responsibility for who gets hurt along that path… I suggest that this uncivil behavior is what we get when we have people who never learned to understand and follow through on what is needed in their life situations. Yes, these life situations start at home and are reinforced in the classroom, social groups, churches, and the workplace. Yes, of course, the media opinion masters also play a powerful roll. I suggest that identifying such needs via targeted rubrics may serve as valuable directional signs along life’s journey.

Every person I know who manages or owns a business tells me that with new hires they desperately seek workers who will show up before their shift starts, use digital devices at appropriate times, dress and appearance meets business standards, resolves conflicts peacefully, follows instructions and asks for help as needed. This is similar to choosing which workers to promote.

Paul Ruez, M.Ed.

www.linkedin.com/in/careertechedu

RuezArt@gmail.com