Uno, Dos, Tres, SINGKO

People's favorite number back in college days is 1 while the least is 5. Simply because 1 or uno stands for a perfect grade and 5 or singko means you failed the subject. But you know what, I don't believe in these numbers nor in grades. Yes, I DON'T BELIEVE IN GRADES.

 courtesy of google.com

Our parents were the ones who pressured us that everytime we present them our classcard, they expect high grades that falls either on 1, 1.5, 2, 2.25 and so on. But giving them tres, kwatro or singko will surely followed by endless sermon. Why? Because parents believe that these grades reflects how you fair in your subject... how much you have learned from your university... how good or excellent you are in your comprehension. But I beg to disagree. These numbers do not reflect who am I as a student.

Passing an exam full of objective questions such as identification, enumeration or multiple choice reflects only how good a student in memorization, technical terms that we will barely even use once we stepped out of the university. Plus, mixed it with an ingredients of cheating. I, myself is guilty of this. Who, in their entire stay in school, didn't cheat even once?

I am not defensive. I didn't get a failed mark back in my 4 year of stay in University of the Philippines Los Banos. I survived without repeating any subjects. But I didn't graduated with honors. And I didn't aspire one when I was a student.

Why don't I believe in grades? Because it simply doesn't show how great a student is. Grades does not show traits that we should really learn from school. These are things that we should learn more than what the academics can offer. Have you heard of a student getting a grade of 1 because of being proactive? What about a grade of 1.25 for being a team player?... for being disciplined? punctual? None. But for me those were the vital learnings that we should carry after graduation.

I salute those students who stayed more than 5 years on their alma matter, even those who stayed for almost 10 years. Because they learn something not even those who graduated in time might have learned. First is COURAGE. Courage to face the truth that they need to stay longer in their university to finish their studies while they saw their batchmates marching every March of every year. Second is BELIEVING IN THEMSELVES. Believing that they can finish what they have started in the university.

School, for me, is just a medium of learning and its not the one who judges how great you are as a person or as a student. Yes, grades are their to set standard but leveraging your own learning with what is in your classcard is wrong. Remember that learning cannot only be seen inside the classroom, much more you can learn when you look outside the four corners of your classroom.