Grades
 

Herman Rubin wrote:

I suggest that grades be abolished, except for advisory
purposes. Also, it should be understood that getting a
high grade and learning the important material may well
be at odds with each other.
Furthermore, I see nothing wrong with signing up for a
course and then deciding it is not worth completing. I
see nothing wrong with collecting a lot of D's and F's;
the straight-A student tends to be weak and shallow in
the important things.



I agree that grades should not be emphasized in pre-schools and
kindergartens, as kids at this stage are better off without it. As
children grow older, grading system should be introduced. With their
grades, they know how well they are doing and where they stand.
Second, grades can be an imperative tool to encourage a child to study
harder, since he/she wants to have A's on the transcript. Nobody
wants the others to say he/she is a C, D or a failure. Thirdly, a
child with higher grades tends to high esteem compared with one with
low grades. Finally, to a certain degree, teachers can evaluate
students using grades, in order to further facilitate their strengths
and weaknesses.

There is nothing wrong with signing up for a course and dropping it
later. We all want to try new things and we learn to give up when they
don't suit for us. That's why many universities have "Drop/Add" and
"Withdrawal" options for signing up for courses. It happens a student
gets a C for a course for whatever reason, occasionally. But
collecting a lot of D's and even F's is a problem. It means either the
student is not studying hard, which he/she should do the best endeavor
once signed up for the courses, or he/she should not be in the school.


To straighten up, most good students tend to be stronger and more
successful in their career after graduation. They have already studied
hard in school to earn their degrees and will work hard to earn their
livings too.