derekha Fri Oct 09, 2009 7:31 pmSuccess has always been defined by whether or not someone is...well, successful. At least, that is how the proverbial “real world” operates. People are judged based on what they actually achieve, based on what others can see, hear, and feel.
Then there is the world of school, where this basic concept of rewarding real success has been skewed beyond recognition. Some claim that in giving out grades, teachers should look beyond the end results and take into consideration the amount of effort students have invested.
Such an argument is at once flawed, if not downright invalid. Some students enjoy griping loudly about how they stayed up all night perfecting their essay. Others keep these details to themselves. Some students approach the teacher every day after school to ask for help. Others simply intensify their own efforts at home or in the library. It is impossible for teachers to objectively measure how hard each and every one of their students try.
Performance is the only accurate indicator of merit. If we assume that success is an automatic result of any attempt, it becomes easy to lose the motivation to truly excel. Sadly, this is precisely what is happening to many young adults who are currently in school. A recent study conducted by UC Irvine found that students expect to earn B’s just for attending lectures and completing the required reading – in other words, fulfilling absolute minimum requirements for any academic course. It appears we have forgotten the simple, natural fact that a high grade must reflect a high level of accomplishment, not the lowest passing standard.
We need to outgrow the belief that we will get rewarded just for trying. This sense of entitlement is naïve at best and dangerous at worst. What will happen if we start granting important or authoritative positions to anyone who puts forth a basic effort? Imagine if everyone who wants to drive can obtain a license just for trying, or if college degrees are handed out regardless of any concrete standards.
Are hazardous traffic and the devaluing of education not alarming enough? How about if every time a politician breaks a promise to his constituents, he simply excuses himself by saying that he tried his hardest? How much time, money, and lives will be needlessly sacrificed if effort becomes the sole criteria for hiring doctors, lawyers, astronauts, soldiers, or pilots?
It is time we realized that by placing equal value on performance and effort, we are actually doing ourselves a great disservice. This mentality puts us at a big disadvantage in a society which is unequivocally result-oriented.
And no, I am not saying that effort should count for nothing in the grading system. It is important that we also encourage dedication and effort in students. What needs to happen is a shift in mindset, one which will finally bring us back into the realm of common sense and rationality.
Then there is the world of school, where this basic concept of rewarding real success has been skewed beyond recognition. Some claim that in giving out grades, teachers should look beyond the end results and take into consideration the amount of effort students have invested.
Such an argument is at once flawed, if not downright invalid. Some students enjoy griping loudly about how they stayed up all night perfecting their essay. Others keep these details to themselves. Some students approach the teacher every day after school to ask for help. Others simply intensify their own efforts at home or in the library. It is impossible for teachers to objectively measure how hard each and every one of their students try.
Performance is the only accurate indicator of merit. If we assume that success is an automatic result of any attempt, it becomes easy to lose the motivation to truly excel. Sadly, this is precisely what is happening to many young adults who are currently in school. A recent study conducted by UC Irvine found that students expect to earn B’s just for attending lectures and completing the required reading – in other words, fulfilling absolute minimum requirements for any academic course. It appears we have forgotten the simple, natural fact that a high grade must reflect a high level of accomplishment, not the lowest passing standard.
We need to outgrow the belief that we will get rewarded just for trying. This sense of entitlement is naïve at best and dangerous at worst. What will happen if we start granting important or authoritative positions to anyone who puts forth a basic effort? Imagine if everyone who wants to drive can obtain a license just for trying, or if college degrees are handed out regardless of any concrete standards.
Are hazardous traffic and the devaluing of education not alarming enough? How about if every time a politician breaks a promise to his constituents, he simply excuses himself by saying that he tried his hardest? How much time, money, and lives will be needlessly sacrificed if effort becomes the sole criteria for hiring doctors, lawyers, astronauts, soldiers, or pilots?
It is time we realized that by placing equal value on performance and effort, we are actually doing ourselves a great disservice. This mentality puts us at a big disadvantage in a society which is unequivocally result-oriented.
And no, I am not saying that effort should count for nothing in the grading system. It is important that we also encourage dedication and effort in students. What needs to happen is a shift in mindset, one which will finally bring us back into the realm of common sense and rationality.
