Report card day.

Some people love it. Some people hate it. But no matter what, you can never escape that one, seemingly eternal question: “What did you get?”

When asked whether she thought grades represented a students intelligence, Claire Dieselberg answered, “No. I don’t. Everyone learns differently, and so it’s not possible for grades to truly show what you know.” While this is true, and I do mostly believe this, a bit of me disagrees. My answer?

No. And Yes.

Don’t get mad at me, but to some extent, I do believe they show one type of ‘smartness’. They show Interpersonal Intelligence (AKA Self Intelligence), one of the nine identified types of intelligence. A self smart student knows himself/herself and uses that knowledge to reach goals and direct life.

How does this relate to grades? Well, a self smart student who knows he wants to be a teacher, will work hard enough to get themselves the grades needed for that dream job. A self smart person knows his limit, but also how to motivate himself. Of course, there are exceptions to this. A person could be self smart, yet still get low grades, due to an outside force.

But, remember that there are still eight other types of intelligence, all of which I will say have little to no relation to grades. Why?

1. Many teachers assign busy work, that can be done with almost no knowledge of the subject being taught.
2. Everyone learns differently, and some classes are easier for those who have certain learning styles.

So should grades stop? No. However, I do believe that teachers should understand that not everyone is great at everything. They should do their best to make the learning experience equal for everyone, no matter the learning style. Students need to do what they believe is right for them and work hard to do their best, but not push their limits.