A middle school student came to me today concerned about her “failing” grade. I was confused: while I didn’t know her grade off the top of my head, I was sure they weren’t anywhere near failing. So I look up their grade and it is comfortably at a B.

Student then says that’s not good because she needs “either an A or a C.” I kept trying to explain to them that a B was better than a C and that they probably misunderstood someone saying they needed “between an A and a C.” I’m not entirely confident that she wound up understanding.

It would have been an annoying exchange if she were a bad kid and didn’t try/care. But she’s a good kid who did the right things and earned her B. So in her case the whole exchange made me wonder how many kids worry about grades without understanding the grades they are worrying about.

Just pondering…