"Grades are not the measure of a person, nor are they the sole measure of academic accomplishment. They are only one rather imperfect reflection of how much you have learned in your various courses. People can learn a great deal and acquire a good education without making high grades, and some students who make straight As may concentrate so much on getting them that they miss their education. "
-Allan Mundsack, How to Study
The real question is what this means for those of us who are high-achievers. How do you just relax and let yourself love the learning process without worrying about fighting for that A? I observe others who have mastered this, but it's something beyond my realm of understanding.
If I'm learning on my own, I must learn everything I can. If I'm in school, I must make the grades. It doesn't mean I don't want to learn everything I can during the process, but the grades become, for me, the higher goal.
Is this good or bad? I don't know.
1 comment:
I think Mr. Mundsack's characterization of grades as an "...imperfect reflection of how much you have learned..." is a bit simplistic, because it doesn't take into account the various contexts in which we view grades. In elementary school, grades are a measure of how pleased our teacher is with our work, study habits, etc. I hated my 5th grade teacher, and was sure she felt the same about me, so I cared much more about my standardized test scores (which said I was smart) than about my grades from her (which didn't). In high school, grades take on a fiscal meaning: they help determine financial aid possibilities. And if the job that God is calling a person to pursue requires a "summa cum laude" on their resume, that person certainly has a good reason to pursue high grades.
If I could suggest, the key questions here would not be "should I care about grades?", but "why do I care about grades?", and "does caring about grades necessarily take the joy out of learning?" After all, [insert great literature here] is a great read even if it's required for a class, and pondering it is worthwhile even if it helps you get a high grade.
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