My older brother, parents, and teacher are watching over me.
All of America, Teachers upload student grades to digital portals on a weekly, daily, and sometimes even hourly basis. We not only post results from big tests, but also quizzes, homework, and in-class assignments. Sometimes teachers will award points for daily actions in real time. Did you raise your hand before asking the question? No? Points are docked. Parents will be notified. The same goes for children.
Students' panopticon begins in elementary school and never stops.
At one high school, the color of the grading portal changes if a student's grade on even a single assignment raises or lowers (green) or lowers (red) the student's average. This can fluctuate from time to time, so the child's feelings of joy or despair can also fluctuate. Parents also have access to the portal, for better or worse, so they can enjoy the same stomach-churning experience.
„If my wife ever told me again that my son didn't go to college because he forgot to turn in one homework assignment or didn't do well on a test, I would lose my mind!'' said one father. on Reddit. „It just frustrates him, frustrates me, and hurts his relationship with her. That's all.“
it really teeth that. Many parents who say the portal helps their children thrive still admit that it is a source of stress. Seeing kids nervously waiting for their grades to be announced makes me even more anxious.
This new school-to-parent pipeline gives parents more control over yet another aspect of their child's life. They are already tracking the child's location through the device and her AirTags. And, of course, they enroll children in organized activities, so children will always do something with adult supervision and parental approval. Now they are invisible where they were once exiled: the classroom. The message to parents is that they should always keep an eye on their children, even as they grow up under microscopes, telescopes and periscopes.
I asked for comments on the portal via Facebook. Many of the people who responded asked that I not use their full names because they were angry with the system but didn't want their children to suffer any more because of their indiscretions. „My son has his ADHD and mild anxiety disorder and is addicted to the grade portal. He is 11 years old,“ writes Jen, a mother from Marshall, Texas. „When he's waiting for a quiz or test to be graded, he's constantly checking the page and trying to update it. It's anxiety-inducing.“
Beth Tubbs is a therapist in the Pacific Northwest who sees many young people with anxiety. She says these portals are useless. When her grades are released in real time to her students and their parents, „everything feels like a gamble,“ Tubbs said. She has had teenagers say to her, „I got a C on my geometry test and I'm really worried. It means I won't get into a good college.''
Many parents feel anxious as well, so the ever-present portal can create a feedback loop. Parents worry that their children won't be successful if they aren't on track. As a result, children are constantly checking the portal, making them fear that a bad grade will mean the end. As he repeats this every day, he begins to feel that one of the unexamined reasons why children's anxiety is spiking is in the grades portal.
It's not just high school seniors and seniors who are suffering. ClassDojo is a popular portal where a teacher can award and dock academic and behavioral points from her 5-year-old child.
„Depending on the teacher's up-to-date habits, how well the child is sharing information, sitting cross-shaped with applesauce, remaining quiet when asked, and following other classroom expectations. You might receive updates throughout the day about things like that,” writes Devorah Hytner in her new book. grow in public.
The results mean that both parents and children cannot give up.
„My son has been in kindergarten for three weeks and I'm already dreading the notifications from this app,“ wrote a mother named Melissa. education blog About the app. „All I hear are personal messages that my son did something wrong. My workday is spent being terrified of notifications from this horrible app and I'm already very worried about school. I feel devastated. I can only imagine how my son feels.“
This system is making even teachers anxious. One person said he accidentally gave a student a low grade on a quiz because of a typo. Less than two minutes later, the visibly upset student asked about the quiz, but was already stopped by his mother. „Online report cards are having a questionable impact on some students, parents, and teachers…“ the teacher wrote.
The problem, says author Emily Churkin, is that the portal has created an entirely new student/teacher/parent equation. The Screen Time Solution: A No-Judgement Guide to Becoming a Tech-Oriented Family.Before she becomes „''screen time consultant“Churkin was a teacher from 2003 to 2015, both before and after the advent of portals. When portals were introduced around 2005, she witnessed two things: I no longer ask her if she's doing something wrong.'' When I asked her that on the test, my parents started asking, for they. The portal „triangulated something that shouldn't be triangulated,“ Churkin said.
Children no longer have the opportunities they once had to daydream, take quizzes, and tell jokes during class. Some parents are upset about this fact, as they are almost forced to travel by helicopter.
Melinda Wenner Moyer, author How to raise a child who doesn't hate you One mother of a seventh-grader in upstate New York said, „When I saw my son get a 30, I casually brought it up and said, „What happened to that social studies thing?'' . And he said, „Mom, that was a mistake, so I talked to the teacher. I also looked at PowerSchool (portal) and I understand, so please help me.'' Since then, Moyer says she has tried hard not to open the portal too much. “It really helped my relationship with my son.”
Autonomy is one of them. three great desires In every human life (with relevance and ability). Restoring some autonomy to children can be extremely beneficial for both generations. That's why it's time to seriously consider whether your portals are doing what they're supposed to do: help students succeed.
Roseanne Eckert is an Orlando defense attorney. Her son graduated from high school in 2017. For a while, „I would check my son's grades at work and he would come home angry even though he didn't even know his grades yet. I finally decided to stop doing that and we all “I am happier,” she wrote. Schools force parents to get top grades, which is always disastrous, just say no. ” For the record, Mr. Eckert added: Her son wasn't a great student in high school, but he is now pursuing a master's degree in biomedical engineering.
If you see a B- on that portal, shut down the portal, take a deep breath, and wait a few minutes.
Or even better, years.