{"id":15267,"date":"2017-11-03T11:49:11","date_gmt":"2017-11-03T09:49:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/responsive.jozikids.co.za\/zaparents\/?p=15267"},"modified":"2022-06-09T21:55:06","modified_gmt":"2022-06-09T19:55:06","slug":"how-much-do-grades-matter-a-kids-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/education\/schools-mainstream\/how-much-do-grades-matter-a-kids-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"How much do grades matter – a kids perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"

By a 12 year old who prefers to remain anonymous for fear of becoming famous among her peers for these awesome views.<\/em><\/h3>\n

Do they really?\u00a0 I\u2019m a bit confused about this one.\u00a0 My parents are constantly<\/em> nagging for my siblings and me to study, to focus and to make an effort to get good grades. \u00a0Teachers always emphasise the importance of getting good grades and well, let\u2019s face it \u2013 the students who get good grades receive awards and acknowledgement for it every year.\u00a0 So then it sounds to me like grades should matter.\u00a0 And now I\u2019ve had some time to actually think about it and decide for myself.<\/p>\n

See, I think that learners should put an appropriate amount of time and effort into studying to get good marks.\u00a0 All-nighters and hours poring over the same section of NS is just unnecessary really, especially if I\u2019m never going to actually need to create an explosion in real life.\u00a0 Everything in moderation, isn\u2019t that what someone important once said?\u00a0 So moderate to mild studying ought to get students enough to pass and be happy about it.\u00a0 Anyway, isn\u2019t it about what I\u00a0<\/em>feel about my exam or is it about what my parents and teachers feel?\u00a0 Then again, mum always says that I have great potential if I put my mind to something.\u00a0 I\u2019m guessing she means \u201cput your mind to studying hard, you have the potential to get A\u2019s\u201d<\/p>\n

The pressure is high right now with exams coming up soon.\u00a0 And that\u2019s part of the problem.\u00a0 The pressure makes us feel overwhelmed, overwhelmed to succeed, to do well, to make our parents proud.\u00a0 But at the same time, each day is different and some days, as prepared as I think I may be, I may not get my best results.\u00a0 No one wants to fail but the pressure may become too much for some kids.\u00a0 All I\u2019m saying is that parents and teachers need to take it easy, calm down, have a cup of tea and let us do our thing.\u00a0 No amount of walking around like a prison warden is going to make me get an extra 10 marks in my exam!<\/p>\n

And while I\u2019m at it, don\u2019t you think we should have a choice about what we\u2019d like to include in our curriculum?\u00a0 Like maybe sports, or movies, what about music?\u00a0 I bet a whole lot of us would do exceptionally well in those subjects with little to no studying at all!\u00a0 I think some kids aren\u2019t all that academic as well and school only tests our academic abilities.\u00a0 Some kids are great doing things with their hands and others are amazing when they aren\u2019t sitting in a chair for 7 hours a day.<\/p>\n

So in conclusion, I\u2019ve decided that grades matter to the extent that it makes you happy.\u00a0 If getting A\u2019s is your thing, go for it.\u00a0 If an average is fine for you because you can\u2019t take the pressure or you\u2019d rather be at soccer practice, then so be it.\u00a0 At the end of the day, I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll remember that I had an A for math in grade 6 but I will remember how to calculate how much 3 awesome pairs of shoes will cost when I\u2019m out shopping!<\/p>\n

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