Report Cards. Two words that can strike fear in a student (or a teacher) four times a year. I work in a school that gives letter grades on report cards and students sometimes have difficulty understanding that the grade is the grade. Bumping someone a point or two is almost like giving ten points because all the parent sees is a letter grade. The week surrounding report cards can be tough on a teacher because of conversations like the one I once had with a student:

Student:   How come I got a B this quarter?

Me:           Because … that was your grade?

Student:   But I figured out my average and I had like an 88.

Me:           Exactly.

Student:   Seriously?? You couldn’t just give me those two points?