It was a cold breezy morning going to school, I could feel my hands freezing in my pockets. On top of that my sat scores just came in, and I was feeling nervous. It was my first SAT score. I was very curious to see what my score was. However, I had to wait until third period, my English class. After hours of hours of waiting and staring at the time, it was finally time for English class. Once I received the paper, I could hear all the students around me asking each other, “what did you get” and “did you open it yet?” But, even through all the noise, all I could focus on was opening the paper. My friends and I who sat at the same table as me agreed to open it together. Now, my friends were good students, they always received good grades on their report card, and always did extra credit work. However, I, on the other hand, never cared to do the extra work. Finally, when it was time to see the test score, we all noticed that I had received a higher grade than everyone else at the table. When I looked around, they all looked confused. They began to ask “how” and they kept looking to see if what they saw was correct.  

Although I loved my test score because it was on a higher percentage compared to everyone else, seeing their reactions to my score really made me feel mixed emotions. I was super excited, yet my head was burning. I was angry. They had this image of me in their heads where I am not as “capable as them.” All because I do not have grades like them. I explained to them that, “your grades do not reflect on what test score you will receive” and I live by that. I mean there is lots of evidence to support this. Grades do not reflect intelligence.  

Your grades are based on how much homework you do, if you are attending your class, and if you are doing classwork, as well as getting good grades on your tests. Grades show that a student is organized, and are on top of what is due when, that they have time management skills. Students who want to get high grades put a lot of time and effort into it. Meanwhile tests are based on how much time you put into studying that topic and how much knowledge you have on it. Test scores show students strengths and weaknesses, what topics they excel on. Test scores correlate with your IQ not your report card grades. 

The education system judges students based on the grades they receive. They decide what class the student should be in by looking at their grades. I believe that the education system should not use grades to judge students. It is unfair. Grades do not show how smart a student is. In school, I have witnessed a lot that makes me think that. A lot of my classmates who participated and were not afraid to participate were average students. The ones with good above average grades barely participated. Grades do not show how creative the students are, it does not show their true skills. Or how innovative a student is.  

My experience with test scores and grades showed me that I should not stress my grades. I will continue to work as much as I can without stressing myself. I know how hard I work and how much I can work, because at the end of the day, I know how talented I am. But the education system will not show that.  

 Students stress themselves so much over grades, stay up late at night to finish their projects or homework. Now, I am not saying that it means that students should not continue doing their class work or homework. I believe that they should. But they should not keep this idea in their head that if they do not get their classwork or homework in, in time that they are a bad student. I believe schools, teachers should not say a student is “good” or “bad” because of their grades. Students are much more than just a number or letter on a paper. Focus on doing your best. Â