What Students Deserves

Which Student Deserves an "A?"

No matter how many times I mull it over and analyze it I cannot find a more inventive way to phrase my argument. Not any one of the students deserves an "A." Grades are not commodities that are distributed on a whim nor can they be returned because of personal dislike. Grades reflect personal achievement and the result of effort and intelligence. Grades are the foundation that our children are expected to build their future upon. Without a good education we are not competitive in a global economy. If that education is backed up by academic freebies and random events instead of substance and earned grades then the consequences can be hurtful for everyone. If the apathetic attitude these students displayed prevented them from achieving a good grade when they had the chance during the term then I cannot see what changes to make them deserve it at semester's end. Most instructors give grades based on academic performance. I know some teachers who have the students put their names on the back of papers so that when they grade the test they do not know who the paper belongs to. I never met an instructor who desired to play decision maker with a
student's scholarship by giving them a certain grade. I have encountered a few instructors that were tough graders and made me and the rest of my classmates work hard for every hundredth of a point we were allowed! I also anticipate the teacher who employs a large grading curve. No matter what the temperament of the instructor, most give grades based on actual accomplishments in the classroom. We live in such a competitive society.
Kids start school at younger ages to a head start. Personalized tutoring for school age children is a big business. Tutors are in demand at colleges and universities. Children to young adults are given every advantage to get ahead in this very competitive world. The students in this story, Making the Grade, are indifferent to academic performance. They admit to not deserving the grade they are pleading for. It is more rewarding to these students to receive something for nothing. Personal achievement is forsaken to these students. Competition comes in the form of who can get the farthest for the most trivial. In college life the one thing that reflects most on personal success and effort is grades and without them nothing is
learned. Education is the keystone for the foundation to our children's future and our future. Students who don't take seriously the work that goes into obtaining good grades cannot appreciate the daily work after graduation. It can be hard work, at times, maintaining a career once achieved. There is pressure to make a good impression. Then there is pressure to move up. Then there is pressure to stay up. All of that is based on the foundation started in the classroom with the effort put forth to get good grades. The engineer who made the wrong calculations that caused supports to crack in a bridge carrying a large portion of commuter traffic will make those commuters regret the classes that he didn't put any effort into. We depend on people who know how to put a road together or know how to make a plane fly or keep our hearts ticking. What ever field a student chooses to pursue, whether it is auto mechanics or physical therapy or engineering, the career is ambiguous without the sincere grades to enforce the education. I do not want a grade grubber as my anesthesiologist or my auto mechanic. I would prefer that student not pass, take responsibility for his or her actions and repeat the class. Maybe next time he will pay attention and put some effort into the class before final grades are posted.