A story - not just about math homework

I was good at math. In fact in 10th grade I got 100% on my Course 3 (trigonometry) math final. But I got a B in the class. I was good at math, but I wasn't good about doing math homework.

My teacher that year seemed practically addicted to assigning math homework. And not only did we have a long list of problems from the book each night, she had precise regulations - homework must be on college ruled loose leaf notebook paper. Most days I did turn in something for math homework. I usually completed the hardest problems, but most often it was incomplete and messy. Sometimes I didn't have a piece of college ruled loose leaf paper handy. So even with 100% on my final, my overall average was 89.5% because of my homework grade.

I hesitated to share this story. I am opening up my behavior and attitude about homework to criticism. I suppose some would argue it was my job to do what my teacher assigned and I wasn't respecting her authority. But then I could argue that it actually was my job to learn trigonometry and my teacher did not respect my time. I did learn trigonometry. And I spent my time planning a mission trip to New York City, applying for and starting a job at the library, reading, volunteering at the hospital, and even sleeping.

My consequence for not meeting the homework expectations was a B. This was acceptable to me. I was not disrespecting the teacher, I was making a value judgement. My time was more valuable than an A. Although I admit to being a little annoyed that my friends who had a different teacher, with a more lenient homework policy, got A's even though they had lower final exam scores. (My teacher did not give out a single A in the class.)

So my principles:

First of all, grades don't necessarily reflect level of mastery. Grades are relative.

Second, repetitive drill is not always required to achieve mastery.

Third, authority has it limits. My math teacher's authority truly did not extend beyond the 40 minutes I was in her classroom. Even as a parent my authority only extends so far.

And lastly, it is important to consider the goal. I understood trigonometry. Understanding trig has been useful in my life and profession. But I still don't have much use for college ruled notebook paper.