In high school, everything was determined by a set number of points defined by a rubrik or specific criteria. People knew exactly what they had to do in order to succeed and if they didn't do it they got the grade they deserved, regardless of extenuating factors.
In college, grades are so subjective that I'm not sure if I should be proud of my GPA or not. In several classes I got below a 90%, which in high school was a B. Here, I got As. In my writing class the teachers told us up front that they assigned grades on how much they liked the papers we wrote. Unicorn received a grade he didn't deserve because he disagreed with the teachers' viewpoint.
Don't get me wrong, I like getting As, but I feel bad because I didn't really earn them. I'm trying my best, and I'm proud of the effort I'm putting into my classes, but this grading system is just derailing my views about earning things through effort instead of being handed them. Once I get a job I hope I won't have come to expect positive attitudes toward my work simply because I'm the one doing it.
2 comments:
Maria, dear girl, I hope I'm around in the blogosphere long enough to read your expressions of shock/horror when you move beyond the protection of academe. The outside world is not a meritocracy, you know. Personal worth is largely judged on the ability to lie, deceive, manipulate and serve the interests of those with the money. My cynicism is probably falling prey to overstatement, but not by much.
You know, I read something in a book once (or maybe it was an article) about this. Apparently older generations were more rebellious towards authority, while modern adolescents are more willing to do what they're told because they have the attitude that they will be rewarded for it. I'll keep this in mind when I make my decisions. Thanks for reminding me.
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