Z's are great, but I like A's, too

Kelly and I were shocked last week when we realized that Friday had marked the end of Zach's first quarter grading period. Hadn't the school year just started? It sure seemed as if it had, even if by then eight weeks--and a fourth of the school year--had already flown by.

Now that he's in middle school, Zach is on the traditional quarter/semester grading system, having left elementary school trimesters behind. With that change have come end-of-term projects and review tests, which have at times challenged Zach’s “work on what’s due tomorrow” approach to things. Still, Kelly and I have remained cautiously optimistic that Zach can step up his game and continue in this more challenging environment the sort of success he enjoyed in grade school. We’ve even hoped he would feel more ownership toward his grades and push a bit harder, since he's already on a college-preparatory tract and we want him to form good habits now, before he enters high school.

And yet, we were fully aware that University Preparatory ("U-Prep") was a whole new ball game and far more challenging than anything Zach had experienced academically before. The school has proven to be everything we'd hoped for and more. But on every level--subject matter, homework load, testing, and even band--it's threatened at times to bury Zach. Though he’s being taught management in his advisory period each day, his skills in the area aren't yet what they need to be.

Having online access with up-to-the-minute updates to Zach's assignments and grades via a service called "Aeries" has been both a blessing and a burden for Kelly and me. On the plus side, it's been a tremendous benefit in helping Zach stay on track, with only a few "oops"es along the way. But there have also been a few mistakes, scores not added properly, and assignments overlooked. Those have made for a bit of nail biting.

By Monday, Zach was as anxious to see his report card as we were. Granted, because of Aeries, we assumed we knew the results. But with assignments and tests yet to be posted and a few items still in dispute, we didn't want to assume until we saw the results.

Our patience was rewarded when Zach’s grades were posted today. Bad puns aside, they were simply A-mazing:

English/Reading: A+ ("Work is outstanding")
Ancient History: A+ ("Work is outstanding")
Prep Band: A
Earth Science: A+
Math: A+
PE/Health: A
Advisory/Tutorial: Pass

As far as I'm concerned, this is "Mission Accomplished" in terms of Zach's transition to middle school. I've stressed to him that the only thing harder than maintaining high grades quarter to quarter and semester to semester is getting them back up if they drop. And, he has a long way to go in terms of staying on top of his work and balance short- mid- and long-term assignments. But if he pulled straight A's in a system like U-Prep's, it ought to be just a matter of refinement from here on out, rather than trying to invent the wheel. He's got the basics down.

Perhaps most rewarding about Zach's grades is that he earned A+ marks in all of the academic classes. Still, I’m not overlooking the A in band, even if it doesn't surprise me, since Zach's enthusiasm for playing saxophone has really taken off now that he plays for an hour each day in a band setting. And for my kid to have earned an A in PE is just icing on the cake, especially since he had weekly fitness goals that had to be met.

I realize it's a very long journey we're on, with college as both a destination and a journey in itself. But with this report card as Zach's first dispatch from along the way, I can only dream of what lies ahead, convinced that he'll navigate it all with flying colors. And I'm just glad I'm along for the ride.