grades

There's been something about some of the people in my classes that has seemed strange to me, and I think I finally realized what it is.

A strong attention to grades.

Not that it's wrong to want to do well or succeed. But I turned down admission to a certain school in Williamsburg because I didn't want all that pressure, and chose instead to attend a smaller liberal arts school with a good reputation without that pressure. My undergraduate education was challenging, and I learned a lot. Professors pushed me, especially in my English classes. But rarely, rarely did we students talk about grades. What we each got was our own thing; in the classroom, it was about mastering the material. And no one ever complained in class about an assignment or paid so much attention to what the professor exactly wanted. Yeah, people would sometimes grumble outside the room, but if you had an issue with the way a prof graded something, you took it to him/her individually, on your own time. And even then, it wasn't fighting to get a higher grade, but merely gaining a better understanding of why you received that grade and what you can do to improve the next time. Or, it was to address a genuine concern that you had, one that was well thought-out. A sign of respect for and trust in the professor.

I realize now that not all people are like that.

I guess I get frustrated sometimes when people keep asking, "so when you do this on the test, you'll say [insert phrase here]" or verbally complain to a professor in class about something or constantly refer to their syllabi to figure out what the percentages are for assignments. I'm all about being open in class and having a good relationship with a professor so you can go to them with concerns. But a sense of respect for the situation and the professor needs to go with that. And the attention to grades? I don't go for the A; I go for the mastery of the material. Yeah, that might sound the same, but in my mind it's a big difference. Then it's not about me pushing for a certain grade, but a desire to understand what I'm learning and figure out how to apply it, which may or may not result in an A based upon the professor's expectations. That doesn't mean I take my education any less seriously; in fact, I may even take it more seriously, as I realize it's about more than letters at the top of a page...

Maybe I'm just a geek who just enjoys learning, with or without grades.