students to be docked for late or missing work?

WTF?

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/breakingnews/Students-to-be-accountable-for-late-missing-work-108703719.html

So like my kids could have simply not done any work at all since 1997 and still be passed?

Hands up anyone that knew that was provincial policy.

Hands up anyone that figures that has to have been the most idiotic idea ever.

<- Puts up my hand

But then again, my wife is a teacher.

It's fine and dandy for people to sh1t on school divisions for 'bad' decisions regarding education.

But the stupidest decisions made that affect education are decisions made by the prov gov't.

I so agree with the concept that if your child's work is late or missing then s/he is deducted grades. Deadlines are created for a reason and if a student feels s/he can't meet that deadline then s/he can ask for an extension without penalty. If the extension is granted then full marks should be available, but of the extension is not asked for and the paper/assignment is late, then marks should be deducted.

But as far as the principal having the final decision on whether or not your child will pass (or fail) is bull. The final decision is yours, the parent. If you feel that your child is not ready to go onto the next grade, you have every right to march into the school and let the principal know that you want Johnny or Jane to be "kept back" in the current grade. Just like you can decide which classroom your child should be placed in for the next grade. You as a parent have total control of how your child learns. This concept only applies to the elementary grades up to grade 8, once they are in grade 9 where pass/fail is at 50% you have less control but you can still make demands that if your child does not have what you feel are adequate grades to "pass" the course they have to take it over so that the mark on their transcript reflects the fact they did the course a second time in order to better the grade. I'm sorry but if it takes a child until they are 20 years old to graduate from high school with great grades, so be it. I would far sooner have my child have great grades at 20 and go straight into university than mediocre grades at 18 and spend 2 more years upgrading (at a financial cost) so they can get into university.