Skip to main content

Do we really need grades?

If grade levels and grades didn't exist, I think our school system would be better, and the confidence in students would be better. How do you determine if you're better than someone? The easiest answer is by looking at their grades. I cannot tell you how many times people have said to me; "You got a C in history? Well, I got an A!" What, does that mean you're somehow better? No, of course, it doesn't! But some kids use this tool to determine if they are smart or dumb.

The thing is though, getting good grades is not really that hard. All you have to do is memorize a bunch of stuff for a test, and then forget it all to make room for the next test. But I never liked learning like that because...I never learned anything. The only reason we have that system is because we are told to get good grades (which makes you look more educated).

If we didn't have grades, however, I think kids would actually start learning instead of memorizing. The pressure of getting good grades will be gone. And I know that the opposing argument is; "What about GPAs, and prooving to colleges that you deserve to go there?" Well, maybe instead of showing colleges your grades, you show them your potential! The GPA of a student only shows their ability to know what the teacher wants to see, and college is not like that! I don't know why high school teachers are always saying college is hard. Honestly, it's easier than high school. Because here, I don't have to kiss up to the teacher to ensure a good grade. I know what is expected of me, and I try my best to meet those expectations. I can speak freely.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

My (really awful) Poem About Advocating For Students

I'm really bad at writing poems, especially if they are supposed to convey a deeper meaning. What I want to bring across is how I want to be a positive role model in kid's lives and get them excited to come to class. I want to make my class fun, and have really fun discussions about texts as well as learn how to write your own texts! (Essays, poems, short stories, etc.) I remember sitting in class, dreading every minute of it. Why am I supposed to be interested in a subject that bores me to tears? "You'll use this in real life" my math teachers always said. I think they forgot that calculators exist. But with literature class, I always looked forward to it. I liked discussing opinions and having fun, Our teacher knew how to make the class enjoyable. Our class environment was really friendly and supportive, Which is something I hope to bring in my future classroom. Like I said, my poetry skills are not the best. This is the best I could come up with in ...

Three Touchstone Moments

I'm about twelve years old, and it's our third year living in America. We've moved for the third time since we came here, this time to a small town in Maryland. We didn't have a place to stay, so we had to sleep in our family friend's basement. My parents were discussing money, and my sister and I were watching. In hushed voices, they talked about how worried they were: "We only have $500 left!" "I know, but we can figure this out." It was in that moment that I realized that when I grow up, I don't want to be in situations like this. One door that leads to a better life for me and my family was education. In that moment, I remember thinking that I will study hard and do my best in school so that I can get into a good college and start a great career. I started improving my writing skills so that I could keep up with the rest of the students in my class. But I wanted to do this for my parents--I still do. They have sacrificed so much for me, i...

I held the door shut...

I know a lot of cheesy inspirational quotes say "hold the door open for opportunities" as a metaphor for having new experiences and opportunities to work with, but what about metaphoric flies? No one ever thinks about that. What about a really bad opportunity? I'm in a good mood today, as you can tell, so I wanna talk about the bad results I have seen by trying things I knew I wouldn't be good at but was pushed to do them by my parents, peers, or friends. #1: Riding a rollercoaster after eating. Can you guess how that story ended? (You probably can.) So, my friends and I drove up to Denver to go to Elidge Gardens. I was a bit hungry so I had some food, and immediately my friends wanted to go on the rollercoaster. I tried to say no, that I'll just watch and wait for them to get back, but they pushed me to ride with them and I threw up as soon as I got off the ride. #2: AP. American Literature. I wasn't always interested in Literature, and my A.P. American...