Most of our young adult life most people stress about grades and how they are doing in school. It does not matter if they have learned anything, just that they get that A and pass the class. In today’s society, we put a lot of pressure on young adults to get good grades, go to a good college, do sports, and do whatever extra-curricular activity you have time for. Do this while maintaining good relationships, and being a good child for your parents.
During my entire High School career all I have cared about is getting good grades and becoming a good member of color guard. As soon as I quit color guard and had more time to focus on school as well as myself, I realized that I did not truly know what I was being taught. Sure I would get A’s and B’s, but I was not able to retain the information taught to me because I did not entirely understand the information. Why was this? Did I not pay attention enough? Or did the teacher not teach the subject well enough?
In fact the reason why I was not retaining the information was because I was not taking the time to understand what was being taught. I would only force myself to remember that one chapter or couple chapters long enough to pass the test and move onto the next subject. What did I learn last month in history? I have absolutely no clue because it did not matter to me. I just wanted that A for the test.
When somebody looks at my grades, they might think I am a very intelligent student who cares about school. Well that is absolutely false. I hate school. I hate the fact that we are tested based off of what we can memorize and how well we can take tests. I am a great test taker. However, my brother is not. So when comparing my test scores to him, you would think I was smarter because I scored higher than him.
I believe that grades do not accurately represent how we learn. Many schools teach children starting school that to go somewhere in life, you need good grades and to do well on tests. The importance of learning has gone out the window and now all that matters is what is on a sheet of paper. Both of my parents were able to get a career in the aerospace industry straight out of high school without ever setting a foot on a college campus. The work industry did not care how well you did in school or even how far you got in school. All that mattered was what skills do you have and how it could benefit them. Now, you cannot even think about getting a solid career without some type of higher education then high school. And even when you attempt to get a job, they want to know how well you did in school, what your GPA was, and how well you were able to handle multiple things at once.
In a world were learning is put second to grades, it is hard to truly care about school. All I cared about for the longest time was what my grades were and how I was doing in school. And it was hard to be actually invested in my learning, because I never was learning. I was just doing what I could to get the A. It is now important to me that I understand the material I am being taught and not how good my grades are. Now that I am more fully understanding what I am being taught, I do not need to work as hard to get that A. So for all you high school kids out there. Focus on what you are being taught, do not just try to make the grade. It will not help you in the long run.
Through My Eyes 