Throughout all of my 15 years of teaching, there has been one word that has caused me, my students, and my students' families to shudder. If you are in education, and even if you are not, I am guessing you can figure out the word. The word is  homework . Didn't take you long to shudder, did it? The word  homework  causes many to shudder much like the word  shot  does for my six-year-old daughter when she has to go to the doctor. Not even the promise of the lollipop at the doctor's office can get her to stop her fussing over going. She dreads going days before and, of course, tries to talk her way out of it all the way up until we get called back from the waiting room. She clams up immediately when the doctor comes in, and then the tears, crying, and wailing comes as soon as she sees the shot. What should take only seconds, ends up taking emotionally draining (for everyone) minutes and minutes to complete. Obviously shots are different than homework, but so...

You get the grades, so you give the grades. That is what I told my students this past week. Needless to say, they were a bit shocked. I have struggled with giving grades and giving homework for some time now. Many of my students just have focused on the letter grade, whether it was an "A" or a "F." They stopped becoming focused on what really matters most, the learning. They started having fixed mindsets, and that is not something I want 6th graders to have. Are those things their fault? No, I do not believe they are. I believe several parties are to blame, myself being one of them. However, things are changing. Grades will now have personal meaning to my students, and I hope that what I am attempting will bring the focus back to what matters most, the learning and having a growth mindset. Attending PETE&C 2016, engaging in Twitter and Twitter chats like #paedchat, and also having a very supportive administration has allowed me to develop the "Contin...