Are Grades The Most Important Outcome In A Class?

There was a great article in the Boston Globe Magazine last weekend titled "Doesn't Anybody Get a C Anymore". (Click on the link to read it) Ironically this article reminded me of my own high school experience. While I had many great teachers, the one that made the greatest impact was my high school English teacher during my freshman year. Despite the fact that I ended up with a C, the foundation was set for future success. I even ended up majoring in English in college and working as a writer for a local newspaper after graduation. How could a guy with a C on his transcript accomplish such things?

It wasn't until I got to college that I realized how fortunate I had been to have that humbling experience. While my classmates struggled to complete some of their writing assignments, I found that I was well prepared for the rigor of English classes at the collegiate level. It was not the C, but the actual content of the course that mattered.

Unfortunately, it sometimes seems that our current times and the pressure of getting accepted to a certain college have made people more concerned about grades and less concerned about the quality of the experience in the classroom. As a parent, I want to know how my child is performing in regards to course standards or benchmarks. Where did he start the course and how has he grown during the year? The grades are certainly on the report card, but are they what is most important?