What grades measure

I have head a lot of people use grades as evidence of a person’s intelligence. Straight A students are supposed to be among the most intelligent while those who struggle are supposed to be stupid. Since mental sacrifice is a necessity for success in school, there is actually an inverse relationship between intelligence and grades. Of course, that’s clearly an indirect relationship.

How exactly would you explain what grades measure? The problem is that there are so many factors. Why don’t I explain what could very well be the two biggest.

The intellectual argument actually does have some relevance. While I do believe that intelligence is detrimental to performance, students believing that they are intelligent will have more confidence that can help them in their performance. Since believing that you can succeed can help push people to greater heights, this is a legitimately positive trait that benefits grades. The impact of confidence is more visible with students who struggle. They don’t think that they can succeed, so they don’t waste the time and effort.

The other key component of grades is the willingness to make sacrifices, especially mental sacrifices, to the schools. Schoolwork can take a lot of time and effort. That effort could go towards thought and education instead. To get the best grades, you have to pick schoolwork over mental and other forms of development. Not only that, but the whole “correct answer” mentality means that you have to figure out what you are supposed to say rather than come up with your own ideas. The schools ultimately suppress thought and stifle creativity.

What does all of this mean? The “best” students are those who think that they are intelligent, but have committed to living a life free from independent thought. I have been known to stereotype straight A students as those who think that they’re smart, but completely mindless. After my I finished my school sentence, I actually looked back at my years as a “good” student. There is no question that I used to fit the stereotype.