The worst practice in all of education is vengeance grading. There is no excuse for it. Ever. Vengeance grading happens when a teacher docks a student’s grade for no reason other than punishment. Docking a student’s grade to punish them is never justified. I am going to say that again because we need to understand that it is NEVER justified to dock a grade for the purpose of punishment. Not ever. And yet, there are educators in our schools, ranging from preschool to university level, who practice this. They need to be stopped.

When an educator docks a grade to punish a student, they are willfully sending the message that learning does not matter. In fact, they kill the learning process. There is no point for a student to put effort into learning when they know that no matter what they do, the teacher is going to give them a lower grade than they actually deserve. Students shut down, they stop caring, and learning is over for them.

If you want to know who the vengeance graders in your local school are, you need only to speak with your child. Every student knows who in the building “hates kids.” And the effect these teachers have on students is quite evident. Students who have to work under these types of teachers are often frustrated and angry. They begin to procrastinate on their work and put out low quality assignments. They start to say things like “My teacher hates me,” “I hate school,” and “There’s no point to doing this work.” And they are right.

So why would an educator, someone who supposedly has dedicated their career to learning, treat students in this way? For some, it is because they honestly think they are doing the student a favor. They believe that the students will see that they are being punished and will change their ways. For others, it is because they are bitter and angry people. Over the course of their career, they have had negative interactions which has dimmed their care of learning and created an anger towards students. These teachers may not even realize what they are doing because it has become so natural to them.

Whatever the reason, vengeance grading needs to stop. Grades are to be a reflection of student learning. If teachers continue the practices of not allowing students to re-learn and re-do assignments, of docking/raising grades for bad or good behavior, or of taking vengeance upon a student’s grade, then learning will continue to suffer. While the last few weeks make it seem like grading is full of doom and gloom, do not despair. Many teachers are grading using sound practices that encourage students and reflect their learning. Next week I will discuss several practices that are enhancing learning and causing students to succeed in ways they didn’t know they could.

(Jacob Jenkins is a teacher at Minot Public Schools – Central High School. He holds a B.S. in English Education, a B.A. in Theatre Arts, an M.A. in English, an M.A. in Secondary Educational Leadership, and is currently working on completing his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership K-12 through the University of North Dakota. The views and opinions expressed in this column do not represent the views and opinions of Minot Public Schools or of the Minot Daily News. If you would like to ask questions, suggest a topic to write on, or to contact Jacob Jenkins, please email him at: jjenkins@minotdailynews.com)