Surely, anyone sitting in the front row of a classroom with just enough proximity away from the chalk board and the teacher’s desk will receive an A letter grade. And, if you’re early enough for the teacher to be late or step in perfect with timing, an A+ is very possible (without extra credit). Better yet, add a friendly, “Have a nice day!” when exiting, or raise your hand and disagree with everyone else’s comment just to earn class participation (bonus point).
It seems like everyday the term “finesse” in the classroom is becoming the mantra of modern academia. While it’s easy to blame the logics of unethically trying to pass on a disputed school system, there is much to say about the eagerness to get a high grade over the wiliness to learn. In fact, it seems as though the need for a 4.0 GPA has resulted in the care-less pursuit of knowledge.
But why? Truth be told, the answer lays beyond the Board of Education, but rather the fact that the value and emphasis placed on grades are so high that they can make the difference between being invited to an organization or passing on your aspired career. In other words, they tend to dictate those who can be or can’t be. For instance, students can’t apply for college without submitting an official transcript (along with SAT and ACT scores), nor internships, jobs on campus or post-graduate studies because employers and admissions offices are constantly seeking “the best of the best," reflecting ones intelligence from the merit of their grades.
And so, we are becoming surrounded in a world full of ignorance. Take for example, parents who would prefer their child to have a straight A record than inquire what they have learned at school. Therefore, there is no question as to why students are often times more worried about what they can do to pass than actually studying the required material and getting the most out of it.
One may argue that grades are a display of character as well as academic sufficiency, but then I’d argue for the characters of those who have failing grades — these issues could stem from family or economic issues. Not to mention, the American schooling system has left little room for distinguishing the academically impaired to the mentally impaired. Even more, if we all agree that good grades are the most accurate determining factor for being a good student, we must also agree that other features like school involvement or classroom etiquette should be ranked just as high on the judgement list.
While I don’t believe that the “finesse” in the classroom will die out anytime soon, I will attest to how much better it feels to have knowledge worth debating over laminating my academic record.
To further add, I am not refuting the need of a grading system nor the motivation that is sometimes triggered from it. However, I am calling out the fallacy that grades are equivalent to brilliance and the high stigma that is put on those with high averages. Simply because, if that were so, I believe America would have to remodel an equally opportunistic schooling system for those of every color, class and region. Even then, we would probably have to await the death of academic pressure and competitiveness.
