On Your Marks, Get Marks, MARK!

French Collège, Complete Mind and Body Control

Principle number 1;  You are Your Marks

Before leaving for school this morning R said to me:  "Tomorrow it's a really big history test, you'll be able to see the marks.*  We were supposed to revise during the holidays.  But I wasn't at the school last year and I didn't have the revision sheet so I couldn't revise during the holidays..."

"Well, have you told them you weren't here last year?"

"They wouldn't listen"

It was the same reply for have you told them you're English?

"Life is a game, boy. Life is a game that one plays according to the rules.” Mr Spencer in Catcher in the Rye, Salinger
R is smiling each time he says "they wouldn't listen".    He knows it's just a game, boy, school life is just a game.  Teachers would look at you askew for being so potty as to take anything seriously...human relationships, individual differences, judgement of your behaviour, abilities or performances...no what counts is the MARK.  

You are nothing but a number, you are a something out of twenty, (or 10 or 5) and it doesn't matter who you are or where you're at, how hard you tried or how much you really understand.  What figures is your figure.

Here is an example of quality mark surveillance - do they do this now in England?

Matières Devoirs ANGLAIS LV1 Mme L... ANGLAIS LV1 stagiaire anglais ARTS PLASTIQUES Mme J... ED.PHYSIQUE & SPORT. Mme CM. EDUCATION MUSICALE M. A... FRANCAIS Mme B... HISTOIRE & GEOGRAPH. Mme B... MATHEMATIQUES Mme DURST S. PHYSIQUE-CHIMIE M. NAVARRO L. SCIENCES VIE & TERRE M. BARBIER J. TECHNOLOGIE M. DUGAST J. VIE DE CLASSE Mme DURST S. DM racisme f 1,50 /5

Aucune absence - Aucun retard (no absences or lateness)

*We've just received a special password for R's surveillance records...on the following snappily named site:  http://www.0780031m.index-education.net/parent.html.
we can access his records at any time on what marks he got for homework, and tests large and small, and whether he was late or absent (and whether he was caught on the security cameras picking his nose).  The one choice R has in this matter is the colour of the screen, here he has chosen "strawberry".

Here I present R's initial profile.  Obviously it needs working on a bit.  After trying to persuade me that 1.5 out of 5 was a good mark, and then that it didn't matter, he finally confessed that he had not understood the minutae of the instructions for the homework, and promises next time he will be on the case...hmmm.

This page is meant for parents, although all the pupils see the information sheet with the password, and I know for a fact that our 12 year old neighbour for example, checks in on her marks every day, often twice a day, and gets very upset if anything has dropped. You are after all your mark, and if your mark is not good, who are you?