Chris Talamo recently made the compelling point that we, as college students, have "an absurd sense of entitlement" when it comes to our grades ("Attitudes on a Curve," Feb. 25). He's right in a way -- it does appear that we have carried our obsession with getting 'A's from high school on into college, expecting and demanding that we achieve that all-validating mark. But what interests me is not whether we are a lazy, expectant, success-driven generation -- because we are. What interests me is who is to blame.
Although I realize there are notable exceptions to my generalization, most of us come from a public or private school background with traditional grading and class methods. This, I've begun to think, is a large part of the problem. In middle and high school, we had the idea of quantitative achievement bashed into our heads -- achievement measured not by the progress in our creativity or intelligence, but by grades and tests scores. How many of us can truly say we learned anything meaningful in high school? How many can say that, rather than just doing what we had to do to get an 'A,' we were challenged to adapt and grow intellectually? I cannot.
I believe achievement has been placed above learning in our education system. From a young age, we have been forced by our educators to focus on the end goal -- the grade, college acceptance, or a job offer -- rather than concentrating on the moment of learning itself. It is this prioritization of achievement over learning that instills in us that desire for the 'A.' Rather than validating our own experience with a sense of having truly acquired information, we let the achievement of a good grade validate us.
So we worked hard, paid our dues to the College Board and got those 'A's. Many of us arrived at Dartmouth hopefully expecting something more than just chasing grades -- something meaningful, something you can't just get at a library: a real education. I hope and think most of us have not been too disappointed. There are a lot of wonderful, dedicated teachers here that open us up to a level of understanding in their subjects that we would otherwise be unable to attain. But rather than challenging students' preconceived notions of the role of grading, professors largely keep with the status quo and perpetuate our flawed sense of achievement.
Perhaps an example might serve as a model for how education has become the pursuit of grades, rather than the pursuit of knowledge. In one of my classes last fall, the midterm assignment was a paper in which we had to choose two philosophers and compare their views on a particular topic. So I wrote the paper, turned it in, and got a 'B+.' Hooray. What was disturbing was what came after the professor returned the graded paper. First of all, the only comment on the essay was a brief note complimenting me on my mastery of two philosophers I had not actually written about. When I asked the professor how I could improve the paper, his reply was "I thought it was good; it was one of the higher grades." Rather than suggest improvements in content or style, he simply attempted to assuage my concerns with the idea of a grade. Apparently my development as a writer is only of consequence in relation to a class median.
While I'm sure this attitude towards learning is not prevalent in every classroom, I feel like it is more common than it should be. Whether professors have simply adapted to students' grade-chasing attitudes, or are too busy to provide a lot of meaningful feedback, many seem to be as focused on the end result as we are. You turn in a paper, get a grade. You take a test, get a grade. Repeat. Individual feedback and development is forfeited in favor of teaching what will be on a test.
I am being cynical to make a point. I have encountered a lot of truly engaged professors who sincerely want their students to learn, and with a little passion, any student can take charge of his or her education and not be captive to the grade. What I think most will agree on is that high school severely and negatively affected how we view grading, and only with a combination of increased student effort and increased ingenuity and passion from professors will we overcome the tyranny of the 'A.' Maybe then we can start working on acquiring an education, instead of just working towards a degree.
