A cheap shiny object is nice at first, but it does not stand the test of time. Its shiny appearance dulls. Its value, once thought to be sufficient, is now seen to be garbage. A cheap piece of gold jewellery loses its lustre once it is worn and used; fool’s gold. Real gold, however hard to find, lasts.

The same for good teaching and for thorough learning. Some A’s are gold; others fools gold.

What does an A mean?

An A means mastery of a subject. Mastery of a subject – at a grade level- means that the child should be able to answer basic questions about the topic with ease. For example, if a student 3rd grade student has been learning multiplication tables and has earned an A on a test, then they should be able to answer questions about the multiplication tables without hesitating. Asking them the answer to 8×7 should be easy to answer. Asking what’s 12×12 should be answered quickly because these are the topics of multiplication and a student who has earned an A has mastered the multiplication tables; not just the easy ones, but alll of them. Hesitation or incorrect answers are not worthy of an A. Something in that grade is missing.

How should teachers help students earn As?

As teachers we must be realistic about what our students can do.
As we begin planning with the end in mind, we must intentionally prepare students to know the details of a topic before we prepare the assessment. The assessment should be prepared first so that you can ensure that all the nooks and crannies of the topic are explored deeply and thus ensure that each student’s A is rightfully earned and not just gifted. Often times that means that – as a teacher – you may need to learn more about a topic before you teach it.

Surface level knowledge is not enough; and a reflective teacher knows their strengths and weaknesses in a topic. Instead of focusing on the cutest worksheets, focus on creating substance and not fluff. Can the A student utilise their new knowledge in real life situations? Can the A student explain the information? Does the child with the A really have mastery?

The teacher’s job is fulfilled in the classroom.

Now, it’s the parents’ turn to enforce learning at home.

What should parents do to help students earn As?

Parents, this is where holding your child accountable for deep learning is imperative. At home, parents must take over. If your son or daughter cannot answer a typical multiplication question, then take some responsibility at home. Drill them. Quiz them. Make it a game. Take some time to enforce study rules so that you can be assured that what the teachers at school are exposing them to, that you, at home, are reinforcing. Parent input is essential. It’s necessary to be involved in all phases of your child’s education- not just your batch of cookies at PTA bake sales- but at home every single day. As parents, we must be realistic about what our children can and cannot do. 

Do you have an example of low level work earning an A?

I worked with client whose child is reportedly making As and Bs in an AP course. Woohoo! I was super excited to engage in conversation about one of my favorite books with her because I was asked to help her write a paper. I agreed happily because I look forward to grappling with deeper meanings of an author’s work…it’s a joy to find the hidden meanings of a text and I am alllll about it. So, I read the child’s paper and it was obvious that she had not cracked the book open. She may have read the back cover and then BSed her way through a page and a half of written nothingness. 

To keep this example as non-identifiable as possible I am changing the text; but here’s what I mean: We’ve all read or heard the nursery rhyme entitled “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, right? Well, not Reshara. She wrote:

Marys lamb was an awesome book that had me in deep thought about her cuz her and her lamb worked hard. She worked hard to keep her lamb because wherever she went the lamb went. She kept it with her the hole time. Her lamb never left her side. She and her lamb never parted from each other. She had a best friend and her best friend was an animal. Her lamb was the only one at school with her and that was a hard task keeping your pet at school with you. 

Now, that writing was repetitive, with misspelled words and punctuation errors at first glance. To go deeper, it only covered the first line or two of the nursery rhyme. Her writing never mentioned the other verses of the nursery rhyme thus missing opportunities for expanding her thoughts, nor did she grapple Mary and her lamb’s possible metaphoric meaning. If she were more well read, she would have considered Mary as the mother of Christ and Christ being the lamb. Even though Reshara was a church going student, she missed an obvious connection which shows that she did not take any consideration of how the nursery rhyme can be connected to other literature or to life in general. As I read the paper, I began to ask Reshara questions about the setting, the other verses and the other characters and the she could not answer any of the questions…so the final question I asked was: Did you read the book? Reshara answered: Nope.

I realised that the “help” that was needed from me was to “write” the paper for her and I simply refused to do that task. A tutor can help students who need to formulate better sentences or to make their ideas flow into a more succinct paragraph, but to take that low level understanding and turn it into something worthy of a real A was beyond the scope of the task. Reshara had no understanding of the topic and once I read the prompt, I realised that she had not even approached the prompt which asked her to compare two characters. As Reshara tried to read the look on my face, she asked, Is it good? Can you help me fix it?”

I answered, “Nope! 

via GIPHY

I could not help her do anything to that piece of lameness but destroy it and start all over. I told her that not until you read the book and bring something to the table can I help! I then asked, “When is the paper due?”

“Tomorrow”, she revealed. 

Chile. Bye.

I told mom how insufficient her paper was and mom said, “Well, she has gotten As all this time in her AP class.”

Here’s the deal: A high school student in an AP course should read the whole text and be able to discuss the work on a surface level AND delve into the figurative meanings of characters and settings and conflicts. Being able to connect the book to the world they live in or to a historical event and write concisely about it is a sign of a student who deserves an A. Anything less is the result of fluff.

A couple of days later, she proudly showed me that her teacher assigned an A to that piece of crap essay she wrote. 

Reshara felt justified. 

Her parents were satisfied. 

And I was mortified. 

As a result of teaching like this happening in American schools, students like Reshara will have a strong GPA and transcript and may be accepted into a rigorous college, but she won’t be able to stay there and thrive. In fact, Reshara graduated high school with honours and went to a state college where she had to take remedial English classes because she did not pass the placement tests. After failing the remedial courses, she left that college and went to a junior college where she barely passed her classes. 

Reshara now works a minimum wage job now and is disgruntled and a bit embarrassed about her education because all throughout her schooling, she made straight As. During school, she always said she wanted to be a doctor…but….she didn’t do the work that would build her up to be a doctor despite the 3.8 G.P.A. she boasted. Those As and Bs meant nothing…they were a shell of a grade and the student suffered. 

Before you brag about your child having all As and Bs examine the type of work that child has been presented. Check your child’s understanding of the work. Make time to work with your child to ensure they understand. This is best done between kindergarten and 5th grade. 

A math student should be able to perform the calculations; they should be able to understand why the answer is what it is in order to earn an A in the topic. 

A writing student should be able to create complete sentences, explore a topic both literally and figuratively.

A science student should be able to read the text and explain the topic clearly.

A social studies student should be able to read the text, explain the topic clearly.

The mark of an A level student is to explain any and all of it to their life.

So, when your child earns an A, examine the work. Was the work deep or was the worksheet just cute and fluffy? Was the work comprehensive or was it just enough to check it off the list? Does your child really know what they are supposed to know? If not, it’s time to go to work, parents, and teach. 

Yep. YOU!

The parents job is to reinforce what your child’s teacher exposed them to in class. Mine for gold now and enjoy its value.

Don’t just be proud to show that A off because it could just be shell of a grade; no substance. All A’s are not the same just like everything that glitters ain’t gold. 

Both parenting and teaching are hard work. Do it now. Or, regret it later.