Grades

Have you ever thought down and really thought about the purpose that grades serve? Sure they seem to always ring the loudest when it’s a score you’re less than fond of, but in reality what do grades really mean?

People would argue that they are a measurement. Are they? If the purpose of a test is to know whether or not one has accumulated an adequate amount of knowledge in any given subject, then really it’s a matter of deciding a pass or fail threshold. Anyone above it is satisfactory. Anyone below it, not.

In an ideal world this is how it SHOULD be. Depending on the subject at hand the threshold can be set higher or lower. (For instance, a history lesson could be set low whereas something like nursing would demand almost a perfect score.)

I mean take a look at the value measurement of grades. They say “C” is average. Average is just a synonym for normal. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. Frankly, I would love to be Average in all subjects except the one’s I’m truly passionate about.
If a “C” is the world’s way of saying acceptable, why the hell would I want to waste time studying material that I won’t retain for more than four years?

Then there’s the “D” grade. I’ve never understood the D. It’s almost as if educators felt bad to be so harsh as to draw a line in the sand between pass or fail, so they snuck in this “you almost had it” or “so close” grade. A “D” get’s you nowhere and might be the most asinine tool in the education system.

In reality, grades do only one thing: validate the people that need to see the proof of their works and do what humanity has been doing since the beginning of time; separate the classes. Think about it. With a good grade, you can use it as proof of your excellence against someone who had a poor grade or never went to school.
A BA or BS is a way of saying “I’m better.”

The sad thing is, most people translate that same phrase into the true cause of itself. “I’m better,” becomes “I’m richer,” or “I’m more entitled,” or “I’m luckier.”

Universities use this kind of pseudo-elitism (I don’t want to get too carried away here) by judging who is allowed to attend their facilities (everyone pays anyways what’s the big deal) as well as how much they can charge depending on their “efficiency.” A school has no efficiency! It’s all the work of the students. All the faculty does is interview and weed out the people that will detrimental damage to their reputation.

You know the system is flawed when you can see educators at a college level who do LESS with their time and involvement get paid MORE than educators who raise our children.

I’m all about leaving the percentage of how many questions one might get wrong, but if all work was measured on a pass/fail system. It would make like a lot less complicated and get on with advancing our species instead of being mired up in the glorious vain existences of where we rank amongst ourselves.
And we wonder why our education system is broken.