What do marks do in school? Entrance Slip

Since my teachable subject is physics, I read the essay Refocusing our efforts: A shift from grading to an emphasis on learning by Sarte and Hughes. Mr. Sarte and Ms. Hughes are two beloved teachers at Heritage Woods Secondary School in Port Moody, where I went to from grades 10 to 12. I've never taken classes with either Mr. Sarte and Ms. Hughes, since Mr. Sarte departed from Heritage Woods in 2009 to pursue his PhD, and Ms. Hughes was a teacher for biology, a subject I did not take in secondary school. However, I've heard nothing but good things about the two teachers. I was sad when I learned Mr. Sarte would not by my physics 12 teacher. It's pretty cool that I, as a teacher candidate, get to read an essay that researched on my friends.

In the crazy society that values meritocratic performance of students, giving grades seem inevitable. As teachers, we are pressured by parents and students to give grades that can "differentiate" students; high-performing students gain admittance to post-secondary schools and average students enter the harsh reality of the society. Sarte and Hughes investigated the conflict between learning and grading in this paper. Since my teaching philosophy focuses on student success, I would not object to grading as part of the school experiences, if this is what the students truly desire. As a student, I would like to be on the "winning" side of the competition and get good grades in order to go to university. Not assigning grades, more specifically, not assigning "good" grades to me could be a great disappointment. I was not disappointed in high school. Grades gave me the opportunity to be a teacher today.

Focusing only on comparison, however, gave me great grief during my university years. We were often in competition with our peers, and losing the competition sucks doesn't feel good. Whether it's marks, jobs, or social relationships, not getting what I wanted frustrated me. It was only until a counsellor gave me the idea that "comparison is that fastest way to lose your sanity" did I understand what comparison had done to me. Comparison with others had been the major source of unhappiness for me.

Going back to my teaching philosophy: I still believe my teaching should be focused on student success. More specifically, what the students considered to be their success. For the students who still believe "winning the competition" is their goal, I will not hesitate to help them achieve the highest possible grades, because that is the reality of our society. However, for those students who have yet to decide what success mean to them, I will help them find the joy of learning. After all, we all live our own lives, and we should not depend on beating the others for our happiness.