Obsession with Grades
"I've learned so much from my mistakes...I'm
thinking of making a few more."
Unlike our native ancestors that learned by trial and
error, today's students seem to thrive on the notion of obtaining the best
grade possible to prove they have 'learned'. Not do student obsess over the
grade, but also making sure they have the 'right' answer the first time! This
obsession got me pondering. Where in the world has all the learning gone? Why
is it that students are so obsessed over a silly letter from the alphabet?
As I sit back an reflect on my educational endeavors, I
have to painstakingly admit that I was one of those students. I didn't care
much for what I learned in middle school or high school. I was driven by
obtaining the best possible grade to prove to my parents and teachers that I
had learned. All the while, I skated by giving average effort at best to
demonstrate I was 'smart'.
And that's when it hit me - my parents were the driving
force behind the obsession of obtaining an adequate grade. I wanted to make
sure they appreciated my efforts in school, get a reduced rate on my car
insurance, and go to college. My entire youth, school was spent as a place to
get by and move to the next level. I can assure you, I never really intended on
learning any valuable lessons that I could use the rest of my life.
Yet, isn't that where education is today. Too many
parents stress the importance over grades and the privileges that come with
them. Why must parents insist on perfection, when true learning occurs from making
mistakes? Mistakes show our weaknesses, our vulnerability, and where we need
the most work. JJ Watt, of the NFL
Houston Texans, states it best, "Success is not owned. It is leased and
rent is due every day."
Students must work to be successful everyday. Success is not meant to be easy. Those schools that have adopted standards-based grading are ahead of the curve. They have clear, measurable objectives for students to meet, showing whether or not they have mastered a skill. There is no grade attached to being able to add your numbers 0 - 100. There is no penalty for making mistakes, only opportunities for growth.
Education needs to help students learn what they don't know. The only way to help students become prepared for the 'real-world' beyond formalized education is to promote making mistakes and learning from those mistakes. Just like when we were young and learned to keep our fingers clear of shutting doors, or off the hot stove, education needs to emphasize the potential that mistakes provide in true learning. Only then can we create a generation of young adults that know how to survive on their own, focused on learning and not the grade!
