Top 5 reasons I hate digital report cards:

1. Children aren’t handed a report card…..what is the fun in that?  Report card day used to be an important day. The anticipation of receiving it, the anticipation of opening it and the reaction when mom and dad see it!

2. Children should be given the opportunity to review the report card before their parents.  It’s the sumerization of their efforts so they should see it first.   Happy or sad, they need to know what it contains.

3.  Digital report cards miss the personalization of hand written comments.  I am probably one of the few teachers that enjoys writing comments.  I want the opportunity to say something positive.  I want to be able to encourage the child with the less than perfect report card and let the parent know that the best effort was put forward.  I want to let them know that I care, that I looked over the grades and that I didn’t just choose a cookie cutter comment from a drop down menu.

4. Do the children even get to see their digital report card?  How many parents are looking at them and not sharing the actual report card but only their reaction to what they saw?

5.  If you read my post on “Don’t Go Paperless” you saw this one coming……are the parents printing the digital report card to save in the memory box?  Grandchildren are going to want to see those…….

Yes, I understand the economics of a digital report card.  I just don’t see it in the best interest of an elementary child.  They need something a bit more tangible.