Before we hand out diplomas for surviving algebra, we might want to ask a more important question: Can this student actually succeed in life?
Three weeks ago, I wrote about Rodrigo, a student who struggled mightily in the classroom but possessed the determination, resilience, and work ethic that eventually made him highly successful. His story doesn’t mean academics don’t matter—they absolutely do. Many top students demonstrate extraordinary discipline and perseverance on their way to academic success. But straight A’s have never come with a lifetime warranty. We all know valedictorians who peaked sometime around graduation, just as we know plenty of “Rodrigos” who couldn’t conquer geometry but somehow conquered the world.
Last week, I wrote about Blanche- a student who lacked the character to persevere through challenge. Blanche had to deal with extremely high academic expectations at home and she chose to foucus her energies instead in other areas.
So how did we end up with a school system that celebrates only half of what matters? Our nation was founded on the belief that schools should develop both talent and virtue, yet we’ve become experts at measuring one while politely applauding the other. Great teachers have always recognized and rewarded students who are honest, responsible, determined, or kind, but the system itself sends a different message. Letter grades carry real weight. Honor roll report cards get the spotlight. Character, meanwhile, often receives a cheerful comment on a report card that parents read once before filing somewhere between the warranty for the toaster and last year’s tax return.
That’s why schools should treat grades for character with the same seriousness they treat grades for academics. Imagine students receiving meaningful evaluations for Organization, Focus, Courage, Generosity, Positive Mindset, Resilience, Independence, Collaboration, and Responsibility—the very qualities employers seek, communities need, and successful adults rely upon every day. Some critics dismiss character grades as lowering academic standards. I would argue the opposite. They raise the standard by recognizing the full range of qualities that lead to a successful life. After all, if we truly believe character counts, then we ought to grade it. Because one lesson children learn very quickly is this: if adults are willing to measure something, it must be important. If we want character to matter as much as calculus, our report cards should finally start acting like it.
We welcome you to the conversation. Please let us know that you care by liking comments, forwarding posts, or joining in our dialogue at johnzurn.com. We would love to hear your own “Stories From the Classroom….”.
From our first posting:
“As parents and teachers, we need to reclaim our traditional role as influencers of our children – not by shouting louder than the influencers our children discover online, but by stressing ideas that are more important than fancy shoes and snappy TikTok tunes. We need to emphasize traits that everyone agrees children will honor. We need to convince our children that the people who are most important to them have a better understanding of what it takes to be successful in life.”
#charactereducation #successtraits #parentingtips #homeschooling #teachertips
Before we hand out diplomas for surviving algebra, we might want to ask a more important question: Can this student actually succeed in life?
Three weeks ago, I wrote about Rodrigo, a student who struggled mightily in the classroom but possessed the determination, resilience, and work ethic that eventually made him highly successful. His story doesn’t mean academics don’t matter—they absolutely do. Many top students demonstrate extraordinary discipline and perseverance on their way to academic success. But straight A’s have never come with a lifetime warranty. We all know valedictorians who peaked sometime around graduation, just as we know plenty of “Rodrigos” who couldn’t conquer geometry but somehow conquered the world.
Last week, I wrote about Blanche- a student who lacked the character to persevere through challenge. Blanche had to deal with extremely high academic expectations at home and she chose to foucus her energies in other areas.
So how did we end up with a school system that celebrates only half of what matters? Our nation was founded on the belief that schools should develop both talent and virtue, yet we’ve become experts at measuring one while politely applauding the other. Great teachers have always recognized and rewarded students who are honest, responsible, determined, or kind, but the system itself sends a different message. Letter grades carry real weight. Gold honor cords get the spotlight. Character, meanwhile, often receives a cheerful comment on a report card that parents read once before filing somewhere between the warranty for the toaster and last year’s tax return.
That’s why schools should treat grades for character with the same seriousness they treat grades for academics. Imagine students receiving meaningful evaluations for Organization, Focus, Courage, Generosity, Positive Mindset, Resilience, Independence, Collaboration, and Responsibility—the very qualities employers seek, communities need, and successful adults rely upon every day. Some critics dismiss character grades as lowering academic standards. I would argue the opposite. They raise the standard by recognizing the full range of qualities that lead to a successful life. After all, if we truly believe character counts, then we ought to grade it. Because one lesson children learn very quickly is this: if adults are willing to measure something, it must be important. If we want character to matter as much as calculus, our report cards should finally start acting like it.
We welcome you to the conversation. Please let us know that you care by liking comments, forwarding posts, or joining in our dialogue at johnzurn.com. We would love to hear your own “Stories From the Classroom….”.
From our first posting:
“As parents and teachers, we need to reclaim our traditional role as influencers of our children – not by shouting louder than the influencers our children discover online, but by stressing ideas that are more important than fancy shoes and snappy TikTok tunes. We need to emphasize traits that everyone agrees children will honor. We need to convince our children that the people who are most important to them have a better understanding of what it takes to be successful in life.”
#charactereducation #successtraits #parentingtips #homeschooling #teachertips