Students go to school every day to learn new things but what is the importance of grades to a student’s life? Grades should summarize a student’s academic achievement. Unfortunately, grades do not summarize but instead, it defines a student. If grades can define a student, then no student would ever want to a have bad record. Because of this, some students become obsessed with their grades; grades are not just a number but are a need. They think that if they work hard for it they can achieve perfection through grades. Who are these students who are obsessed over grades? They are the perfectionists who are trying to achieve perfection. They are the students who put pressure upon themselves and work under pressure because they want to be labeled as perfect. They think that grades are a way to have the perfect lifestyle.

“I want my report card brimming with A’s.” Generally, that is what every student want. But for the perfectionists, they do not only want high grades but need them. Why? It is because they desire success. People nowadays focus more on academic standard because grades are seen to “summarize” the students’ academic standard. If student A got a perfect score while student B failed then student A almost automatically is the smartest kid and student B is dumb. Grades can have judgmental effects on students. James D. Allen quoted Bailey & McTighe (1996), says that, “the primary purpose of secondary level grades and reports is to communicate student achievement.” But what happens is that it does not communicate student achievement, but characterizes a student instead. It may be a good thing but the bad thing is that it defines a student for an entire semester. Student B seems doomed to be the dumbest kid in class. The student’s reputation is affected because the grades defined the student. It should not; it should reflect mastery of content taught and reflect completion of tasks (McConnell 2012). As I stated from my previous example, grades automatically give titles to students and it can affect their self-esteem. Even more so for the perfectionists; it affects them mentally and physically. ‘I need my report card to be filled with lots of A’s.’ That is now the statement of every student to avoid humiliation by getting bad grades or to gain plus points from the people around them.

Perfectionists or what I call “the perfect students” have a very strong desire to achieve success. There is nothing wrong with being a perfectionist but what makes it wrong is that people take it too seriously. They become unrealistic and insecure. They become destructive and highly competitive. They do not notice that whenever they try to achieve a goal, they pay too much for it with effort and pride. They have clean and organized records and big goals. They impose exceptionally high standards upon themselves. Their goals are like a utopian dream; unrealistic and unachievable. The perfectionists may sound strong but they are actually the weakest. They have a lot of fear and they fear failure because it means that they do not have a chance to correct a mistake. For a perfectionist, it is all-or-nothing so they must avoid mistakes at all cost. Because of this all-or-nothing attitude, they have a higher risk of missing out opportunities. They always take the safe road to avoid failure. Another fear they have is the fear of disapproval. Perfectionists are scared of rejections in any form: jobs, people or love. They conceal their flaws in order to protect their precious dignity. In their view, their grades reflect them. When it comes to projects, they make sure that their work is clean and perfect because they know that cleanliness equates to perfection. They also act nice to their teachers and they always jump at the chance to do extra work to gain extra points. Peg Tyre (2010) once quoted in his article, A’s for Good Behavior, that the students “were not the ones gaining the most knowledge but the ones who had learned to do school.” In relation to the perfectionists, they tend to do work instead of school. This kind of habit can harm them physically, because they overwork themselves causing them illness, and mentally, because it can lead them to depression or worse mental illness.

The journey to the perfect road is like searching for Utopia, just like the perfectionist trying to achieve perfection. Perfectionists are abusing their health by either staying up late or skipping meals to finish work. Some become depressed whenever they make a tiny mistake. Worse is when some commit suicide when they cannot accept an F. Back in high school, I always had to pass all my subjects because I attended a school where my mother worked. I was under constant pressure. During my junior year, I slowly became grade obsessed. I did not only pass my subjects but joined a lot of extracurricular activities to gain extra points. I would stay up late to study or eat little to have more time to study. By the end of my high school, the effort I exerted was worth it because I graduated with honors; unfortunately, I ended up having health problems as a consequence. You see, perfectionists feel great whenever they receive high grades then later on they would ask for more high grades. Grades are the opium of perfect students because they feel happy and contented and also they become addicted to it.

Grades are nothing but numbers trying to define a student. Being a perfectionist is also something that should not be taken to a higher level. Having a perfectionist personality cannot be avoided but there are few things to consider. First of all, be realistic with your goals. Make them achievable and light in a sense that you do not have to shove yourself into things you cannot do. Another is accepting your weaknesses and limitations. And lastly, forget about the goal of becoming perfect because no one but God is perfection. It is okay to make mistakes because a person who never made a mistake has nothing new to try. When it comes to achieving goals, keep in mind that striving for excellence, instead of success, is much better.

Labels: advice, school, speech, story

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