Given how advanced we are as a society, we still haven't found a way past the carrot-and-stick model of education.
Get good grades, good things happen.
Get bad grades, your life is over.
Learning doesn't sound like much fun, does it? In fact, it kinda sounds like some sick reality show...
Feedback is essential for growth, no question. The issue with grades is they are a permanent mark on your learning experience.
If you get a D in freshman algebra, it doesn't matter what happens after.
You could have a complete turnaround, discover a new way of learning that works better for you, develop a life-changing work ethic, and get A's in every math class you take for the rest of high school.
But none of that matters. You will always have the D in freshman algebra. It will drag down your GPA and there is nothing you can do about it. Colleges will see it and not bother to ask for the details.
As a result, we have become obsessed with the letters. The things that aren't graded naturally become less important.
It crossed my mind, "Okay, then. Let's start a new kind of school!! Something progressive, no grades, and it's all about creativity, connection, problem solving, and innovation!"
Except there's another problem. One that homeschool families know quite well. The reason they usually throw in the towel come high school and send their kids to regular school.
College plays by the same rules.
If you finish high school without a legit transcript complete with grades, you won't be walking through those college doors. They, too, are a work in progress when it comes to measuring students beyond the letters and GPA.
So, what does this mean for us? What can we do, with grades being here to stay?
A few things.
First, create a culture within ourselves and with our kids that school is not the only place learning happens. Learning is something we live (or should live) day in and day out.
Second, let's remember there is no such thing as a "best school." As much as we have all been trained to run the rat race to get the best grades, to go to the best school, to get the best job...have we ever stopped to ask what all of that is for exactly?
If a handy student decides to become a piano technician, trade school is not going to care what happened in freshman-year algebra. And piano technicians make a pretty sweet living.
The "best school" will depend on a student's passion. And finding that passion, along with a love of learning, is the greatest thing we can help our kids do during these precious years.
So, if your kid comes in with a B or even a C in something this year, take solace in the fact that you have broken free from the system that insists anything less than an A is an F.
You know better. Grades are a system that has needed overhauling for a while. But, you can overhaul it at home and show your kids what true learning is.
That's what will make all the difference.