By José Dominiguez, August 14, 2019 — Society needs grades to attach privileges or losses and I believe that they have a purpose, but do I need them? Well, it depends on the stage of my life.
At elementary school, I was like a scared mouse and saw my teachers as powerful and merciless authorities. That little paper they gave us with our evaluation was almost always a certification of our ignorance and irresponsibility. At the end when I finished, I did not know how I was promoted. At the secondary level, I noticed that I had learned some study skills so I had a good domain of my language and was not afraid [to torment] myself with long hours of study. My grades came easily and I was recovering from the bruises of my self-esteem. High school was the same as at the secondary level, and my good grades helped me to socialize and to be curious about reading and people but they never represented me.
At [the] bachelor degree [level] each course was an adventure. I learned to suck [information from] books and have a presence in the oral exams. It was almost impossible to fake in those oral exams but I managed to do it. At that stage, I was a professional [and needed] to obtain decent grades. Obviously, my knowledge did not match my grades but I did not mind.
At the master’s degree [level], I loved to study most of my courses and I was under pressure to obtain a good average score so for the first time in my life grades represented some true knowledge in me. I don’t have time to talk about more of my studies that I did, but at this stage of my life, I can say that grades are not important. I believe that tests and evaluations have to be an opportunity of learning and enjoyment.
