What Really Matters

Last week was Award's Night for Emily's school. She has worked so hard to maintain As in all of her classes. Last fall, her goal for the year was to get straight As so that she could get the "All As" certificate at the Awards Assembly. Last year, she missed the "All As" certificate because she let her grade in science drop to a B+ during the play. This year, she vowed not to let that happen. And it didn't. She worked VERY HARD this year.

Cut to the Awards Assembly. Emily was so excited to go. She had worked so hard this year, and knew she was going to get the "All As" certificate, and she figured she'd also get a Department Award, possibly in Language Arts, Social Studies, or Science, because her scores in those classes were so good. The teachers of those classes all would tell me how hard she worked, doing the job of 5 students. I was also pretty confident that this was the year she'd get several awards.

But, just like a year ago, I had to watch her face sort of freeze as each department called out their recipients, and Emily's name was not called. Then it was time for the "All As" recipients. They were told that first they would call out the names of the "3.2 and above" recipients (which was the requirement to get invited to the Awards Night), and then would call out the "All As." If a student was to get an "All A's" then he or she WOULD NOT get called for the "3.2 and Above." So I didn't expect her to get called until the "All As." But she was called for the "3.2 Award."

We were all surprised. She worked so hard this year. Why didn't she get the "All As" certificate?

Turns out, it was a B she received in PE for Term 3. PE? Who counts PE anyway? And why did she get a B? I looked at Skyward, and could not find one reason that she got a B. So I emailed the PE teacher.

Long story short, she got a B in PE because she missed three days of PE that term and didn't make those days up. Make them up? This is PE, for god's sake. How do you make up a missed PE day? And Emily seemed surprised that she had to make up missed PE days. I was mad because out of those three days, two of them were for school activities: the play and a choir concert. One day was illness. All three were excused absences.

The PE teacher and I emailed back and forth a bit. Then, when I didn't get a satisfactory answer, I emailed the principal, telling her how unhappy I was that not only could Emily's teachers not find it necessary to give her a department award that she so deserved, but that the lousy B in PE due only to three absences kept her from her year-long goal of getting the "All As" certificate. My reply from her was some pat answer, and she signed off with "...let me know if you have any concerns or questions." I replied, "I just did that. And it didn't help."

Later, I was talking to my principal about the whole affair. I cry when I talk about it, because I know how hard Emily has worked this year, and how disappointed she was. She cried the minute we left the awards night, and cried all night long. She hardly ever cries. So my principal asked, "Well, was the absence policy in writing somewhere? Because if it isn't, I bet you could challenge the grade."

I wasn't sure. I went online to look at the teacher's PE website, and all I saw were some PE pictures, and the announcement that he had won PE Educator of the Year for the third year in a row. Next I went to the Parent/Student Handbook document online, and went through it. I usually don't bother reading it, because my kids don't misbehave, so I don't feel I need to know most of what's in there. But I thought perhaps the PE policy was there. But it wasn't.

So I emailed the PE teacher again, asking where I could find their absence policy in writing. He emailed me back that it was an "expectation that has been communicated to the students for the past 5 years." I replied, "Communicated how? Verbally? You can't tell students something once, and expect them to get it-even good kids like Emily..." I went on to say that all it would have taken was for him to say to Emily, when her SIGNED OFF THE OFFICIAL DISTRICT FORM FOR HER TO BE EXCUSED FROM CLASS FOR A SCHOOL ACTIVITY,"Be sure to make up the missed time, now..." And she would have.

Well, now he's mad, and responds back to me in disbelief that I am now challenging a grade from three months ago. He wonders where was I when she got that grade? And in fact I probably should have asked about it then. But I didn't think PE counted...

However, I had CCd the principal in my previous reply. She knew I had a point, even if she was now tired of me. She offered to give Emily the "All As" certificate. That's all it took. Very simple. And I knew Emily would be happy, and we all at our house feel that she deserved it.

Because PE just doesn't count.