This month, my eight-year-old and four-year-old daughters will receive their mid-year report cards. And just like every time they get a report card, I?ll take it out of their backpack as soon as they get home from school, and that?s the last they?ll ever see of it. I?ll pore over it closely?but they won?t.
That?s right: I never let my kids read their report cards. Never have, not sure when I will. And it?s not that I don?t trust what the teachers have to say. In fact, I myself am an elementary school teacher.
Here are four reasons why I never let my kids read their report cards.

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When did being an average student become a bad thing"1. It can damage their intrinsic motivation to learn. My kids, like most, are little sponges. They?ve learned so much since starting school, in a wide variety of subjects, and they are open to learning about everything. They work hard simply because they love to learn?and my concern is that if they become aware of their grades, they?ll lose their intrinsic motivation to learn and work, and will only want to work for external validation. It will happen eventually regardless, because there will come a time when I can no longer keep them away from seeing their grades, and that?s fine?I just want to delay it as long a...