海角大神

If you were a fourth grader at the Eggertsville Elementary School in Eggertsville, New York, in the 1930s, citizenship occupied fully half of the small blue report card that you took home to your parents at the end of each marking period 鈥� six times a year. And your parents signed it and sent it back. And these reports 鈥� my father鈥檚 鈥� would be saved for posterity.

Citizenship was complicated! It was divided into two parts: Social Adjustment and Attitude Toward Work, both categories detailed in subcategories: cooperation, dependability, healthfulness, self control, carefulness, initiative, interest, and perseverance, respectively. Even the sub-categories had sub-categories. The standards were clear and concise; the routine rigid; the document short and graphic. And there were silver stars to be earned, as well as letter codes: U, I, S, H!

Over on the 鈥淪cholarship鈥� side of the blue card, the headings listed the academic subjects without sub-categories. Everyone seemed to know what was included in math, science, language arts. There were the traditional letter grades for each subject, and an average grade for the year. Stapled inside, was a very small blank piece of paper with room for the teacher鈥檚 鈥渞emarks,鈥� if they chose.

鈥淏ob did some fine work on the original Columbus Day play,鈥� wrote Mrs. Shurgot. The year before: 鈥淏ob did some good acting in the class Thanksgiving play.鈥� And in the Christmas assembly, 鈥渉e showed more of his good work on the stage by the fine reading of his topic and poem.鈥� I suppose we would call these 鈥渘arrative comments鈥� today. What was the name of that poem? What made his work on the play 鈥渇ine鈥�? It feels like incomplete reporting. There鈥檚 no directive information in them for the next marking period. I want details!

The Eggertsville card also contains one brief, statement of mission: 鈥淲hen the school and home unite in their efforts the best interest of the child can be served. The closest cooperation of these two forces is essential for the pupil鈥檚 development.鈥� So, it鈥檚 a progress report! But what a starchy declaration of interdependence.

At any rate, young Bob took that card home six times and returned it to school with his mother鈥檚 signature. He was promoted to fifth grade, with many silver stars attached for good attendance, honor roll, band, music, newspaper. Evidently Bob鈥檚 mom valued her son鈥檚 record of achievement and saved all his report cards. They were preserved for posterity. Bob鈥檚 mom was June Nelson, my grandmother, and I hadn鈥檛 seen these historic artifacts until a recent Thanksgiving, when we had a good laugh over dad鈥檚 academic record around the family table.

What a role reversal. I was glad to see Dad鈥檚 progress from third grade music, when he got an I for 鈥渋mproving鈥� in the 鈥渟ings with pleasing quality鈥� sub-category in music. The next year he took up trumpet, and avoided the whole singing issue. Back in kindergarten he had gotten a U (unsatisfactory) for 鈥減lays and works well with others,鈥� and a U for 鈥渓istens while others are talking, does not interrupt.鈥� But by third grade, he cleaned up his act and was getting all H's (for honor), particularly noteworthy in the area of 鈥渧olunteers and does his part in making school profitable and interesting.鈥� All that emphasis on citizenship and civility was paying off.

Some things never change. A progress report form is still an expression of a school community鈥檚 values and relationships, as well as individual achievement. Judging by the space allotted to it, citizenship had value equal to scholarship in Eggertsville. The community knew what it wanted, and had a system for accountability.

Some things ought to change. My grandparents couldn鈥檛 tell what my dad was reading and writing in grade school, or how math concepts were taught. And I鈥檇 like to hear more of the voice of his teachers telling the story of those years鈥攅specially since he had his beloved Mrs. Shurgot for three years in a row. There should be a balance between data and eyewitness news; hindsight and foresight.

In 1942, Bob won second-best in the Buffalo Evening News Spelling Bee. He was on the road to becoming Robert C. Nelson, a journalist. But I鈥檓 more amused to know him as the kindergartner who got a U in playing well with others.

Family archives can be terrifying. Someone managed to save my tenth grade French teacher鈥檚 comment: 鈥淰ery little effort expended in or out of class. C-.鈥� Incomplete reporting! My own eyewitness news account would mention expending a lot of effort that year. Two years later I got a 750 on my French achievement test. Good data. And recently I鈥檝e made a lot of new friends in France. 鈥淢s. Hornbeak, would you revise my grade? I wasn鈥檛 done!鈥� So it goes. Progress reports have transitory meaning, for some purposes, and remain priceless, if frozen in time, for others. I just hope mine don鈥檛 show up at some future Thanksgiving table.

Todd R. Nelson is Head of School at The School in Rose Valley, Pa.聽聽