So, I had parents call me on the speaker last week to tell me that their daughter only has straight B+’s so far and they wanted me to work with her on “grade motivation” and self-esteem.
Now self-esteem I can figure out, but “grade motivation,” sounded like one of the self-serving terms that attempt to make bad parenting sound purposeful.
Can you imagine, just three and four weeks in, and already freaking out about grades? And in all fairness to those parents, you have to admit that the majority of the time – B’s just aren’t good enough!
Okay, parents don’t cringe and students don’t celebrate. But it is possible to have a successful life without having successful grades.
Now I need to be very clear on this: I will not move an inch in believing that you try your absolute best to earn the highest grades possible in all your classes, all the time.
And yes, there are direct benefits in having high grades. But, what I’m also saying is that it is not the end of civilization as we know it if you do not graduate with a 5.7 weighted GPA.
So this week’s column is an ode to all students who have ever gotten B’s, C’s, D’s (and sometimes even failed). It’s a declaration to the kids and parents who calculated the exact number of points they needed to get on their finals in order to pass.
This is for all those kids who didn’t get extra credit or get placed on the honor roll. After years of inadequacy and a lifetime of feeling average and unremarkable, your time has come. Someone is finally here to tell you that even if your GPA is lower than 2.0, you can still be great.
For years, society has placed a disgustingly large stigma on bad grades and an overwhelming importance on good grades. There’s a predisposed instinct to strive for A’s and cast anything lower to the side, to deem as unworthy.
Well, it’s time to let the children learn that it’s okay not to be an A student. It’s okay to fail. Because here’s a little secret the older generations are unwilling to divulge to you: it doesn’t matter, and yes – failure is all part of it.
To all those up-tight intellectuals out there, it’s time to get the facts straight. There are a majority of students not obtaining the high grades but rather the realistic tools for success – life experiences.
Failing is a life experience. Not getting that A on the exam you spent all night studying for, is an experience. Life experiences are a composite of all the skills necessary to get along in the real world. It’s comprised of all those skills that are only learned through failure and the obstacles of life, like how to hold a conversation, stand up for yourself or entertain someone you really don’t like. It’s all those skills that high-paying Fortune 500 companies value above all else.
In college, it’s all about grades. In the real world, it’s about experience, balls and strikes. Because once you get past the first job, no one is ever going to ask you about your GPA or how you did on that Psych 215 final.
What matters in the real world is your ability to adapt, innovate and get along. There are no Scantron sheets or essay exams. There are no tutors to hold review sessions or to help you practice your presentation.
Real life is about how well you can bob and weave your way through it, and that’s not something taught in a classroom.
This column is by Ritchie Lucas, founder of The Student Success Project and previously Think Factory Marketing. He can be reached at 305-788-4105 or via email at ritchie@thestudentsuccessproject.com, and on Facebook and YouTube as The Student Success Project.
