By: Breiana Brown [Staff Writer]
There is only a week and a half left of this quarter and it’s crunch time. The students at Marion put every ounce of effort into making their final grade something they can be proud of, even though they have worked so diligently during the first half of the semester. In high school grades are everything, they decide someone’s future. Grades can make or break a student. Teachers should do their best not to forget this concept. Teachers are ultimately dealing with the future and deciding if their students possess potential to be successful or not.
Think about it. A lot of students at Marion have jobs and other responsibilities, therefore they wakeup to go to school, then work, and then after that they have a chunk of homework to finish. That’s a lot to deal with, and that’s not even where it stops. Being a student the goal is perfection; kids may work hard and spend an unbelievable amount of time on something just to receive a D or even an F. It is insane to think that students can be judged so harshly. What ever happened to A for effort? Didn’t the teachers ever tell their children “good things will happen when you try your best?”
Some may argue that not every student does their best, or maybe they’ll say that if they worked their hardest, their grade would reflect it. Who are they to judge, it is impossible for anyone to know what ability someone else has or if they are giving 100% or not. It is also impossible to know what someone else is going through. They may have a bad home situation, have a lot of responsibilities to tend to, struggling with depression, just lost a loved one, or even worse, and what do they get? They instead of help and understanding, get the stress of harsh grading and an incredible amount of busy work.
“You’ll survive,” “it’s not that bad,” “try harder,” are a few things teachers tell their students who may not have the grade they have hoped for. Why not give them a second chance? What’s so wrong with extra credit, it is an opportunity for kids to prove themselves, it is a lot of work for little points. So teachers ask yourselves, are you grading fair and do you allow extra credit? If not, why? Students talk to your teachers, get help, and if they give out an undeserved grade don’t be afraid to discuss it with them.
