“Report cards are finally out!”—Your classmates scramble to get their phones, looking at their inboxes with their fingers crossed, and their heartbeats quickening in pace. You do the same, but as your eyes scan the faces of the people in your class, you start to wonder about the subjective value of these numbers. There are tears of joy and tears of sadness, but in this room, the same number of “90” can bring about both.
But it’s all the same, isn’t it? Well, not for everyone.
During last school year’s recognition ceremony, before I stepped foot on the stage, mixed emotions were all that I could feel. Yet, the moment I heard my name being called to receive a gold medal, all of these feelings turned into simple bliss. The joy on my mother’s face was evident, and the constant greetings of “congratulations” as I walked through the aisle heading back to my seat greatly shifted my perspective.
While I’ve always been the type of student to place very little emphasis on their academics, the happiness that a single medal could bring was definitely something to acknowledge. It’s indeed a privilege to say that “grades don’t matter”, because sometimes, it’s the focal point of other people’s lives.
Growing up, I was never really pressured to get high grades. Maybe that’s why I didn’t see it as something too valuable. Then again, I was taught to be empathetic. For friends of mine with stricter parents but fairly poor academic performance, I always tried my best to sacrifice a portion of my time to tutor them. Rarely have I ever panicked over an assignment, but I remember being at my wits’ end when I found out a friend of mine would receive a punishment from his parents if he didn’t pass his within the day.
Up until now, that moment still lingers in my mind because the immense panic that I felt was absolutely surreal. It’s so easy to act careless when you know that the consequences aren’t as dire. The moment I felt a responsibility to help alleviate the eventual suffering of someone close to me, that was the same moment that I could no longer say that “grades don’t matter”. Although, I was always aware of the fact that it mattered a lot for others. Now, it finally started to matter to me. If having good grades means being spared from harm being done unto you, then it matters. It matters so much. Too much, even.
What kind of learning environment does that create for students? When the
desire to acquire knowledge and quench one’s curiosities is replaced by the fear of failure and punishment, education no longer fulfills its true purpose. This system built upon the technical assessment of complex individuals with varying talents and skills fosters an environment where mutual support becomes sacred.
If someone were to ask me: “Do grades directly reflect a student’s academic
competency?”—I’d immediately say "no." Firstly, there are too many factors to take into consideration. A student’s performance can be heavily influenced by their mental health, motivation, discipline, and overall environment. Another factor to consider is the amount of support that they are given. Not every student receives equal attention. Some are favored and some are disregarded. It’s simply a matter of the human urge to label and attach people to a certain characteristic and never really letting them grow outside of that. How can we expect students to improve when we don’t extend our grace to them?
All my life, there was only a single thing that hindered me from achieving my
full potential, even after my mental health, motivation, discipline, and overall environment improved. It was simply the lack of faith in myself to succeed. Sometimes, you can have all the talents, skills, and support that you need and still falter. Trust me, I know. The moment that I could finally tell myself that I can do something, that I can really exert effort into it, and truly reap the benefits of my labor—that was the time I realized that school wasn’t entirely about grades and the contents of every lesson we learned. Instead, it is an environment where you can freely acquire different perspectives and mindsets through the course of your education.
School should help a student grow as a person. It should challenge their beliefs, add to their perspective of the world around them, and ultimately mold them into a person who is capable of standing on their own two feet the moment they step foot out of the institution.
Everyone just needs someone to believe in them, even if that someone is simply themselves. If there comes a day when I am proven wrong, then I will welcome that new perspective with open arms. The entire world is a classroom. Take what you believe will benefit you, and leave what you believe won’t.
Not everything that is taught to you is true or beneficial, but you know what? It was all worth knowing anyway. It was worth knowing that someone thinks that way, but you’re not obligated to think the same. You must be given the grace to question what’s presented as facts because facts change over time as new discoveries are made. I say, be the person to discover. True life-long learning comes with the discontent to accept everything as is. Learn, but never forget to search for new answers.
Dear MHCS Students, grow so deeply engrossed in enlightenment and understanding that you’d never have to show your grades to prove your intelligence. There is a glass ceiling waiting to be broken. We are often told that 100 is the best goal that we can achieve, but we must not confine ourselves to numbers. Be greater, because you can be. I believe in you. Believe in yourself too.
Story by Catarina "Issa" Gonzales
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