MAC Wk1 Reading- Giving an "A"

As a teacher, this phrase "giving an "A"" makes me shudder at first. Grades should be earned. They measure progress and let us know how we measure up, right? The suggestion that we should abandon the measuring stick and embrace each student as a possibility to be achieved makes many of us shudder. But, as I examine it, this could be a revolutionary idea. Imagine how students would feel knowing that they already have reached the pinnacle of the measuring stick and they have to work to keep it? It sends a powerful message: I see you are worthy, I believe you are special and that your ideas have merit. Giving an "A" could erase a student's negative school experiences and allow them to begin again with a glass half full instead of half empty.