Once you go into the elementary, high school and college levels, you are entering into the world of percentile grades, grade point averages and "ranking" in class. It's great when your child gets good grades, and we hope that your child's love for learning will continue. But be careful not to fall into the trap of pressuring your child into doing things solely to get a high grade.
Similarly, if your child gets an average or low grade in subjects, do not treat him with disdain. In both cases, your child will feel and think that his value as a person is tied into his grade. That's like saying that your value as an adult, as a person, is dependent upon your salary or position in a company.
A GRADE DOES NOT MAKE YOUR CHILD. Your child is NOT a number. He is a complex being who has so many other valuable characteristics that are missed by people who are giving him the grade. Grades only reflect a cumulative score of correct answers, or the value that the teacher is willing to give you for the work you have produced.
Just as salaries simply reflect what a company can afford to give you for the service you are rendering to it, and your position reflects your scope of responsibility in the company. Grades, (or salaries and positions for that matter) do NOT reflect a person's character, individuality, thoughts, dreams, aspirations and unrealized potential, which are far more important than just getting the right answers to a written test.
So no matter what grade your child gets, treat him the way he deserves to be treated: With a great deal of RESPECT and a whole lot of LOVE. A GRADE DOES NOT MAKE YOUR CHILD.
--- © Vivian Villanueva
This is part of a speech written for the culmination program of Preschoolers about to enter into the Elementary level.
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