Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for January 24, 2022

The practice semesters were called kindergarten.

Yes. You just didn’t bother with them, Calvin.

I didn’t start getting letter grades until 3rd grade. And even then, the IMPORTANT part was that if you finished reading enough books, you could make a little mini-rug on one of the looms. THAT was a lot of fun.

Does “F” stand for “Fine”?

FINE PAYABLE when you report home with your card :D

Since we are children we are taught that human beings judge others.

I remember 1st grade, in those days it was “Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory.” No ABCD until second grade. Sometimes the teacher would put a gold star next to the subject if you were really good at whatever. I always got stars for reading, “Satisfactory” for penmanship and “Unsatisfactory” for math.

Did Calvin even pass the “standardized testing” in today’s public schools?

For me, ‘report cards’ weren’t a threat until high school—then they became an absolute terror ! ! ! !

Yes, in Kindergarten.

It’s okay lil dude. Once you get your first F the pressure is off. You can learn at your own pace, as long as you keep up with the rest of the class.

7/10

I didn’t know about grades until sixth grade when another student asked me what grades I got. He had to explain that was what the report cards were about. Clueless!

Suzie’s legs have been erased!

Governor Greg Abbott is proposing that the parents of school children should have sole authority in deciding whether the kids repeat a grade. If Calvin lives in Texas, he may just get his wish.

In 7th grade at Raub Jr. High in Allentown Pa in 1948 my father helped me prepare for algebrafinal exam. He went through the text book & gave me reading problems requiring various formulas. When we lined up for our grades the teacher looked at me & said it seemed like you never studied for the exam, & I got one level above F. I was crushed & never was able todo Algebra problems after that. But became a whizz at geometry when I used it future professional activities.

Written in my high school yearbook… Thanks for letting me cheat off you in geometry class, without your help I wouldn’t have gotten a C. I would have gotten an A !!!

You wish, Calvin!

Practice makes perfect, but there are too many perfect idiots around, already.

Of course you get “practice semesters”. That’s when you repeat first grade while Suzie and the others move on to 2nd.

Ah, the innocence of children. If innocence is the right word.

They’re ALL “practice semesters” through 8th grade. The only GPA that matters to colleges (if they matter at all anymore) is the one you accumulate in high school.

Yes, you get practice semesters. But you get graded on them.