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

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sourdough Bread Journey

 I've always been interested in baking bread and I recently took on the endeavour of baking sourdough. Immediately, I started to hear how difficult sourdough bread is to bake due to the the time consuming aspect of baking the bread properly. Even before this journey, I knew that bread-bakers always attributed sourdough to a very difficult bread. So, I started this journey with my guard up, expecting to make many mistakes that would result in uneatable bread.  Guess what. They lied.  I'm not saying it was incredibly easy, there are plenty of lessons I've learned through my mistakes. But those mistakes do not mark a difficulty for me, they mark my accomplishments. I've made mistakes I never thought I could make through my journey of baking sourdough, but they taught me valuable lessons and I don't regret a single mistake I made.  I decided to dust off my blog after taking to a friend about sourdough, and all she had heard about it was that it was the most difficult th...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
1 comment
Read more

Book Review: Convenience Store Woman

Keiko sees herself as an essential part of her community; someone who makes sure everyone has what they need whenever they need it, and someone who keeps everything organized for their convenience. Her work is very important to her, she is very dedicated to her job to the point where it's her central focus in life. Work has been the only thing in her life that's made sense, it gives her purpose and she feels safe in that. Keiko is a convenience store woman. Obviously, her family and friends find it very concerning that she's happy working at a convenience store for seventeen years, and that she's never had a partner, which makes her an "other" in their eyes. The thing is, Keiko knows how she is perceived and she doesn't care. She continues happily working at the store until Shiraha, a new hire at the store, moves into her apartment. "Convenience Store Woman" explores the idea of relationships viewed by society, and how society can make you feel f...
Post a Comment
Read more