Despite being freakishly sad, it’s also freakishly true. There is one exam, one form for each subject that dictates every student’s grade. So much of a student’s performance is held in the hands of the teacher that it’s questionable as to why we give grades so much importance in the first place. In one science class, significant figures may be irrelevant while in another, sig figs may be worth half the points on an exam. Grades are more representative of circumstantial luck than they are typically thought of, and this is often an unfair way to judge a student. Without grades, the stress of school is gone but that essentially renders learning optional. Perhaps the problem is not within the grade itself, but what grades mean in a future that no one may predict. What if there wasn’t so much pressure to excel, to go the path that worked for every child-Einstein figure? A traditional 4-year college plan certainly works out for some, but not for all. You could start a business, become a commercial pilot, go to trade school… possibilities are endless as long as the prejudice against a non-traditionalized elite pathway is neutralized and the question of “How do I do well?” becomes “What’ll help me?” If the culture just loosened up a little bit, students would feel much less suffocated.
Whatever happens in high school or just this finals week, you’ve got other options. Obviously do your best, but that’s up to you, not a strict score above ~92.
The Roar 