"Make it up as we go along"

This Must be the Place by Talking Heads

Hi Reader,

💕 A note to my wonderful readers: The goal of this newsletter is to provide educational tips and news to help your children thrive in school and to keep you informed about educational policies that may affect your family. I’ll often share my insights alongside the news, based on thorough research and my experience as an educator. I’ll always aim to make clear what’s opinion versus fact, and I’ll cite sources for any information shared.

As changes unfold in our school systems (e.g., yesterday Donald Trump announced his intention to dismantle the federal Department of Education), I’m here to help you understand how such shifts may impact your community. My hope is that this newsletter sheds light on underreported topics in education. Even if we don’t always agree, I hope you’ll stay for the conversation. Improving education is my way of leaving the world a better place.

🖍️ Yours in education,
Natalie

So, let's talk about report cards...

Today's newsletter is inspired by 2 readers! They asked: “Why are report cards so unhelpful?” and “Why are my child’s grades suddenly so low?”

Report Cards as Legal Documents:​
Report cards can impact everything from car insurance rates for teens to custody decisions and private school applications. Because they hold so much weight, teachers are often advised to keep comments vague.

Grading Starts Low (Especially in K-2):​
In early grades without percentage scores, teachers use "progressive grading," which assesses kids against end-of-year goals rather than current progress. This means kids might receive low grades early on simply because they haven’t met those year-end goals yet—like holding back the full "happy face" until they’re reading fluently. Fortunately, it all gets clearer when percentage grades come into play!

If Your Child’s Report Card is Stressing You Out—Ask for More Info!​
Teachers can often share more over email. Reach out to ask where your child is excelling and where they might need extra support.

What's New?

🦅 No More DoE?: in April 2023 I posted a video What Would Happen if We Abolished the Department of Education? It had low viewership and I took it down thinking "I guess I didn't need to make this video anyway." Friends I've put it back up and it's such an important watch. If you've got 10 minutes today, I urge you to watch/listen to it.

🍁 Crunching Leaves: On Sunday Mike and I went for a long walk in Latta Preserve. The entire trail was covered in leaves. It was so nice to get out in nature. Have you been on any autumn adventures?

Things I Love

📚 Great Read: My book club has been reading Margo's Got Money Troubles. It's such a cute book and I love the narrator's strong voice throughout. If you need a little escape, this story of misfits just trying to get by is it. Get it at Target or Amazon.

🦃 Hostess w/ the Mostess: We are hosting Thanksgiving this year and I am absolutely delighted to give each guest their own chocolate turkey! I think the table will look so cute with a foil turkey at each place setting. I got milk chocolate for me and dark chocolate for Mike.

🥧 Best Apple Pie: This is a local rec but it's worth it! I needed a last minute apple pie for a Friendsgiving. I made a call to Burney's Sweets and More and WOW. For $25 I had the best apple pie ever with a perfect cinnamon crumb topping. They've got locations all over North Carolina.

💕 Thank you to our Veterans!

Take care,