A+

I have had a few parents ask me "What can my child do to get an A in your class."

Be an A student 100% of the time.

I almost want to ask them "Are you an A+ parent all of the time" - my guess would be no. I think that part of the reason kids are so tempted to cheat is because they don't want to upset their parents by getting bad grades.

It is a very sad reality that some of these kids are more afraid of bringing home an A- than being called out for being a bad kid. WE all have days that aren't our best. I know that there have been lessons that have turned out a bit less than stellar.

Heck if I were giving myself a grade on getting papers back to kids I would give myself a C on average. I'll let you in on a little secret - there have been times at the end of the grading period that I've given a participation grade rather than plowing through all of those papers.

I guess it's hard for me to understand parents who want their child to get an A+. I was not that kid, those were not my parents. I got C's in some of my classes in high school and in college. I turned out okay. I'm a good citizen of the world - I don't beat my dog or cat. As an adult no one cares about the GPA I got anywhere in my educational career.

If your work is amazing - you will get an amazing grade. If you have a bad day - your grade might reflect that. It doesn't mean that you won't go to college, get a job, have a spouse, procreate or any of the other major events that will happen in life.

It might just mean you get an A-.