The grading system sucks. I said it, and I meant it. Okay, not in all places, but the majority still sucks.

The educational phase in our lives is enjoyable and entertaining, regardless of what you are studying. If you love it, you are going to enjoy it. 

However, it has been made less of an informative process, and more of a dull and stressful phase of us busting our butts for the almighty “A”. 

Sadly, many young people, especially teens, have been taught by their parents that the grade is all that matters in the end. 

Not the stress you went through, not the hours you spent up studying, and not your outstanding ability to be creative in what you are doing, just the grade. 

I got you, so I’m going to give you five main reasons why you NEED to get out of that “grades are all that matter, and if I get a ‘B’ I’m stupid” bubble. 

Reason # 1: If you really think about it, grades are nothing but evaluations by a person (a teacher or professor) based on their perspective. 

Who grades our exams or assignments? Teachers. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t remember them being divine creatures who can do no wrong. 

They are just people! 

They have their views and thoughts, so they are grading your work based on those. 

Reason #2: Your creativity becomes limited, AND WE NEED MORE CREATIVITY NOWADAYS!

We become obsessed with the instructions and rubrics we follow to achieve the perfect grade, that we don’t allow our creative side to take over.

We follow our teachers’ version of “perfection” that we assume there is no other way around it. 

Piece of advice: If you can’t bring something new to the table, get up and leave. 

Reason #3: This one goes out to the parents. You are promoting the idea of a fixed mindset against the growth mindset.

Psychology has spoken about the two mindsets before, and we’ve been trying to teach our kids the importance of a growth mindset.

What rattles me is that some parents STILL won’t move on from the fixed mindset. 

They pressure their kids to ace their tests and assignments with no room for them to manifest the growth mindset they need. Think about that for a second. 

Reason #4: Not getting a perfect grade is not the end of the world.

We always read motivational quotes about how we should always try again and never give up. 

Why don’t we apply this to our education? 

There is always room for us to learn, grow, and flourish. There is no limit to knowledge, so let’s not make a big deal out of not acing an exam or getting an “A”. We can always try again. 

Reason #5: Most educational institutions test our memory, not our ability. 

The education systems are more about who can memorise an entire book without learning anything whatsoever and writing it all down in the exam. They don’t care about the skills, abilities, or creativity of the students.

There is no room for any innovation. We are getting graded on reciting words that we don’t even understand.

That’s not learning. If I wanted to be a parrot, I would have given up on civilisation and went to live in a rainforest. 

In conclusion, this is for the teens and students who are slowly killing themselves with constant stress over grades. 

Work on improving what you are already good at. Grades will only get you so far.

YOU will be the one who gets your farther. Take care of your mind and health. They are the MOST important things that matter.

To the parents, raise your kids to believe more in themselves and not in a grade.