Today, I got back the scores for my second and last SAT. I should be proud of what my score was; it was considered above average, but coming from a household where letters and numbers mattered, a 1660 was below my parents' standards. I was taught and conditioned that hard work would get you somewhere far in life. I grew up with the notion that anything lower than an A was unacceptable.
With the first quarter of senior year coming to an end, our current grades show the progress in our classes. With college application season in the air, we can't afford to let bad grades bring down our chances of getting accepted into our dream school. So at the second month of school, here I am pushing myself to come out on top. I have a majority of B's and C's. And I admit, it's tough having to balance my academics and grades when my mind is focused on applying to colleges in order to further my academics. And of course, coming from my family, my grades are anything but acceptable.
For the past four years in high school, I've pushed and I've tried and I've lost sleep and I've cried in order to get top notch grades. By the time I graduate high school, I would of taken eight AP classes and an additional handful of honors courses. I would of graduated among the top 25 of my class. But for what? The hopes of getting into a good college. It seems like everything I do now determines my future. I hardly care about learning the actual material in the class; all I care about is that polished "A" on my transcript. We've moved into a generation who cares about more about the final grade rather than leaving the class knowing bits of information that you didn't know before.
This isn't to say that grades and numbers and letters don't matter; they truly do. Sometimes these grades measure your ability to measures dates and facts rather than applying the actual material. They measure your work ethic and ability to do homework, not actual intelligence. They don't measure your creativity, imagination, etc.
So I guess this post is to tell you that you're worth more than what numbers tell you. You're worth more than your GPA, your SAT scores, your AP scores, etc. Try your hardest and put in work and it'll eventually get you somewhere. This isn't to say that you should fail your classes because "grades don't define you." This is to say that you're much more that those numbers tell you. Your life is measured by the experiences you live and the people you meet; years from now, your grades in high school will be the least of your worries. You're smarter than you really think you are, so apply those skills somewhere.
I wish you all the best of luck.
Keaulani, I get were your coming from. My parents would always tell me I needed to get good grades in order to have a brighter future and actually get accepted to a good college. Ever since middle school the grade always mattered to me anything lower than a C was considered failing in my house. Which at times school would be so stressful because my academic weakness are english and science. I would always have to worry about my grade in those classes ,that I would at times forget about the other classes. I always wished I could start all over and tell myself that a grade does not define who I am. I wish I could go back and be able obtain the lessons more, rather than just learning them and moving on to the next, after taking a test. Maybe then I would have enjoyed school more and might have even stressed less .
ReplyDeleteI'm getting really frustrated because this is the third time I have written a comment that doesn't publish. But anyways, let's try this again. I understand completely where you are coming from. My parents are the same way. I feel like they only care about my school work. I know that it is untrue, but I still feel as if my education is the only thing they are interested in. I am glad that they care, but my Dad gets way too intense for me to handle, to the point where I am on the verge of tears. He gives me extra homework to do and won't let me leave the table until it is completed. When I get a "B" on a test that I felt was extremely hard and I rush home with my good news, all he has to say back is "Why wasn't it an "A?" He wants to study anytime I have an ounce of free time, when yes I would rather sit down and read a good book or watch TV instead of study. But as he does, I care a lot about my grades. When I don't get the "A" I feel disappointed in my self, but why? I tried my best and that should be all that matters, but when I look at the couple "C's" that I have on my transcript I get discouraged. Thank you for reminding me that all that is, is letters and numbers that try to define who we are. But let's not let them define us.
ReplyDeleteI think Keaulani and I come from the same family because she basically just said my exact situation. However, I see this in a different way. She's right that we care about our actual grade rather than the material that we learn, but I believe that is so because we take so many classes that we really have no interest for. There are only a select few of which we find interest in and make that extra effort to keep in what we learn rather than the typical "in one ear, out the other." Additionally, many of our classes don't push us at all. For example, i played on my phone for a whole year when i took Stats last year, and i got an A both semesters. So in a way, its almost like the harder a class pushes us, the more effort we will put into it. On the other hand, if a class is going to just let me slack off for an hour, then I don't see why I should be reprimanded for doing so.
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