Grades Are Grades Affectful Or Destructive Or Constructive?

In many cases, grades are often viewed as destructive or constructive. Many will argue for one of those viewpoints depending on their personal experiences and opinions. However, it is hard to argue that grades have no effect on a person. Grades influence the way a person thinks of himself/herself. Although some will argue that grades are beneficial and motivate, or teach, students to aim for the best, grades are harmful to a student’s mentality and create limitations on creativity and the desire to learn. The link between knowledge and grades is something a lot of people will quarrel over. Some will claim that knowledge is based on grades and others will disagree that knowledge has no correlation with grades. Often times a student will base

Students develop a negative mindset and begin to feel discouraged by phrases such as “not good enough” or “not smart enough”. It has come to the point where students feel unsuccessful and unintelligent if they don’t maintain high grades. According to Slate Magazine, “...80 percent of students surveyed based their self-worth on academic performance”. The educational system that exists today has become so harsh and inconsiderate of student’s health and growth in other areas (i.e. arts, social activities, etc.). Rather than striving to ensure that students understand each concept, schools view a student’s academic performance as the most important aspect. Grades also create immense amounts of stress and anxiety which contribute to the negative effect on a student’s mental health. According to Slate Magazine, “...adolescents with low self-esteem were more likely to have poor health, be involved in criminal behavior, and earn less than their peers...a self-reinforcing loop is created… leads to more bad grades and low self-esteem...and social dysfunction.” Grades may not seem like that big of a deal, but in the bigger picture, they can really affect a student’s psychological development. Overall, grades are far more harmful than they are beneficial. Even though people will continue to argue that grades are effective, they are not. If more people are more aware and