For some of us, things come naturally. We are good at drawing or basketball without having to kill ourselves practicing. There are those that somehow do amazingly well in school without having to try too much while you study for hours, go to class (almost every time) and read all assignments. I am not what you might can an academic "scholar" no matter how hard I try. My grades have never expressed how hard I've worked. School has always been hard for me depending on what the subject is. Writing? Art? Sciences? Easy. Math? Geography? History? Absolutely not and when it came to the tests, they were even worse.
College isn't any different for me. I struggle just as much if not more. I have retaken courses, mainly maths, to boost my GPA and grade. I can be doing fine with all other assignments but that doesn't mean anything, but the only grades you get are tests, which you haven't mastered the skill of yet. The same tests that everyone gets even though everyone learns different ways. This grading style always makes me feel incompetent and like I'm not smart enough when I see the red numbers in the corner of my paper. I can do the homework and communicate the subject well, but my grade says otherwise and hurts so many people. We work so hard up to mid-terms and finals knowing already that we won't do well from a history of bad test scores and knowing ourselves.
There are so many ways people learn and how people actually grasp the subjects, so which learner are you? There's auditory-musical: you prefer using sound and music
Verbal or Linguistic: you prefer using words, both in speech and writing.
Physical or Kinesthetic: you prefer using your body, hands, and sense of touch.
Visual: you prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding.
Logical or Mathematical: you prefer using logic, reasoning and systems.
Social or interpersonal: you prefer to learn in groups or with other people.
Solitary: you prefer to work alone and use self-study methods.
These all also use different parts of the brain and we tend to use more than one method. So why are all the tests the same for everyone when we don't all learn or express the same way? My ability to take tests doesn't show how intelligent I really am because no matter how much I may know the material I have always had trouble with tests and something in the education system needs to greatly change or I along with many other kids, grade school to college, will not be seen to their full potential. This is a sad realization that isn't appointed enough and my grades and GPA take a toll because I'm not a good test taker, unlike some people. And I'm not bashing anyone, I wish I didn't have this struggle, but I do, and want more people to be aware and understand that they are not alone.
