The first A I received was met with no reward or celebration. Instead I was posed with the question, “well, what did you learn?” A question difficult for a child to respond to when the sole focus their teacher implemented wasn’t the criteria or learning outcomes, and was instead the value and prestige of a high grade. I’ve been raised by two educators and for as long as I can remember the same principles have been encouraged in our household. Failure, learning, and knowledge have a far superior value than a silly grade. Grades are an inaccurate depiction of ones learning and intelligence, therefore they shouldn’t be valued so highly in any setting, especially an educational one.
The age old narrative deeming that a students grades equate to success is false. I’d go as far as calling it a “boomer mindset”, implying that the entire philosophy behind it is dated and irrelevant. The inaccurate representation of learning does a better job at revealing personal, social, and emotional skills that are considered valuable at the university level, and after they spit you out into the real world workforce. A strong work ethic for example. In contrast, skills such as creativity, critical thinking, leadership, and ambition are more often observed in individuals who’s grades aren’t the most valuable asset in their arsenal. The cliche examples include Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, and more. All of whom had poor grades, chose to drop out, or gave up on a formal post-secondary education altogether.
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Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate good grades when I’ve taken something away from the course or lesson, but good grades don’t guarantee anything, and I don’t personally value them the way my peers do. It goes both ways. Grades are not an indicator of success nor failure. You can receive an A and have cheated your way getting there, or you could have put in every ounce of effort you had to offer and received 76%. The stigma surrounding receiving ‘bad grades’ is huge in a lot of secondary environments, especially Seycove. Whether it’s concern regarding university acceptance or parental pressures, I find that the amount of time spent worrying that your grade is an 80% vs and 85% is time wasted. This is especially true when you take the time to look and see that the majority of Canadian universities require a C+ to B average entering grade for undergraduates. That includes most of Canada’s top schools, UBC and UofT for example. In fact, the overall average entering grade is 85%, not a bad grade, just a stigmatized one. Of course you can argue that a higher GPA will ‘guarantee’ you a spot on the list, but perhaps, would a student with a B average (roughly 3.0-3.3 GPA) and a variety of extracurriculars, volunteer experiences, and multiple references be a better candidate? The answer can vary, but nowadays it leans towards yes.
In terms of post secondary success, grades are again, irrelevant. In the modern 21st century workforce of almost every field, ‘soft skills’, are considered a more valuable asset than a transcript listing impressive grades from prestigious universities. Global multi-million dollar companies are even looking past grades during hiring processes year after year. In 2018, 14% of Google’s employees were ‘uneducated’ and successful. That number has only grown. Google’s “Project Oxygen”, was launched in 2013 to essentially pick apart the companies hiring systems. Changing their interviews to look for signs of these vital soft skills rather than solely focusing on technical skill and education has set the company further forward.
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We look at grades as a currency. We earn them and pay them forward in order to achieve success. But grades are limited, and their value has dwindled significantly in the real world. In 2019 Forbes stated that roughly 73% of potential employers in the United States do have a GPA cut off and typically require a 3.0 in an applicants graduating year. That statistic really only applies to subject specific professions like education, government, medicine, and law. Realistically, companies are looking closely at a transcript full of opportunities, experiences, leadership, volunteerism, and other, more accurate depictions of intelligence. It’s everything that you learn, risk, and do in order to achieve big things that measures anything at all.
Grades are like goals scored in a game, ultimately leading to the success or failure of the team. But it’s just one game, not the cup, or tournament, or league. Grades are a tiny, microscopic piece of a puzzle, a puzzle that can be completed without them being anything ‘special’. Be proud of your grades if you wish, but don’t depend on them, seek praise for them, or waste time fixating on them. Your report card, transcript, GPA, none of it defines your intelligence or sums up your value as a student or individual.
