The Secret Teacher: We hold all the power when it comes to school reports

“A bit giddy in class.” That’s what my second-year religion teacher wrote on my Christmas report card 30 years ago. Admittedly, I was giddy; we all were, in fact, and we usually became so in the 10 extra minutes it invariably took her to get to class.

As well as being giddy, I was also an able and willing participant (once she had finally got the class under way). I maintained a healthy level of enthusiastic participation after receiving that report card but I have never forgotten how unfairly I thought I was represented in that comment. I’m probably not the only one with a grandmother who frequently reminded me never to put anything in writing that I couldn’t stand over forever, and perhaps that plays a role in why I appear to bear such a grudge against my former teacher.

At this time of year Christmas greeting cards come second to report cards for teachers, as many school assessment schedules still maintain a Christmas exam period. This is always a frantic time of year and it is a challenge to provide quality assessment feedback while juggling many other priorities (both school and non-school).

A poorly-judged comment can lead to serious and lasting disappointment on the student’s part. Teachers may hold all the power when it comes to completing the school reports, but we must never forget that the student has been fully present in all of the interactions and exchanges of work, so (s)he is uniquely qualified to assess our assessment. In the same way as I know that the comment all those years ago didn’t adequately reflect all that had gone well in my religion class, so too does every student who gets similarly selective feedback.

Schools to receive €50m in grants for remote teaching

---

UCC academics concerned at deepening links with Minzu University

---

How can the class gap in higher education be bridged?

---

Class gap: More affluent students dominate high-points courses

---

Occasionally I look at what others have said on a pupil’s report card to see if what I’ve recorded is reflected elsewhere. This can be a dangerous thing to do, as I have no data by which to evaluate my colleagues’ feedback. Since I have not been in their classes with the student I have no real-world data to measure their comments against.

There are also umpteen variables which feature in the background of a student’s performance in any individual subject. The more obvious examples include timetabling; ever tried teaching teenagers four times per week, always first period in the morning or last period in the afternoon? Too many lessons right before lunch and the rumbling tummies are more active than the brain cells. The old chestnuts of “I don’t like her” or “she doesn’t like me” can really mean “I don’t even try”, swiftly justified by “she won’t notice if I do”. These big things get said and left as though they are universally recognised truths and often remain entirely unsubstantiated while valuable learning opportunities go to waste.

Snooping into my colleagues’ input on report cards often inspires me to serving my own students and their parents even better when completing reports. We all know that, by and large, parents and students are eager to see what we have said, even if there is a proportion of dread in the mix.

Delivering value

So the onus is on us to deliver value. An emphasis on showing a student how to improve must not be so exclusive that we risk communicating that we have not noticed all that the student has done and achieved. Similarly, a reference to personality or behaviour – “a very pleasant student” – lacks the pedagogical detail that the professional context surely demands. This comment is in the context of evaluation of an academic performance and its general thrust must surely be in keeping with that.

Subjects mainly lend themselves to different subsets, whether in skills or content. Many practical subjects require students to carry out the task or experiment and then complete a write-up, or perhaps even an evaluation or reflection on the exercise. Distinguishing between the practical and theoretical could be an option, especially if there is an appropriate tip which would help to strengthen performance in one or other area. Such a comment aims a call to future action right at the student.

Studying English requires a grasp of the varying mediums of prose, drama and poetry, not to mention a need to adopt different writing styles. Foreign languages require listening and oral skills as well as reading and writing skills. Praising the areas of strength while highlighting those which need attention strikes a balance between rewarding what has been achieved and urging the student to improve in an area of lower performance.

For maximum benefit, the comment could include a specific strategy or resource, or simply an area of work meriting further attention or revision. When it comes to the school report there is an onus on teachers to produce something students can grapple with in order to better their performance in subsequent assessments.

Nobody grows and learns under criticism, that is the ultimate message here. If the blind eye is turned at all, it cannot be to the positives. Young people can often feel that they are serving extended sentences in our schoolrooms. As teachers we must ensure that their time with us feels well spent and worthwhile and one key feature of that is quality feedback to inform the next period of learning.

Unfortunately, teachers generally complete these written records at the close of a term. This means energy levels are lower and everyone is eager for the midterm break or holiday to start. We can therefore fall short in our feedback simply because we have completed school reports in haste. Our conscientiousness may be better reflected in comments if we formulate them well before the pressures of a completion deadline.

And we are then also less likely to let our own holiday giddiness spill over into a student’s report.