A goal is not a number. A goal is something you want to reach, such as a habit you want to start, a place you would like to be in, or a motivator to reach your vision in life. A number doesn't resemble anything; it's just a measure that has been created to equalize the evaluation of students success' and failures.
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It seems as though something as valueless as a number can define your future. The school consideres your grades to evaluate whether you pass or fail, colleges consider grades to accept or reject you. Something that has such small value has evolved into being a goal, something people reach for and work for.
We are surrounded by a society that will do anything to get the grade. Students enclose themselves day after day memorizing pages of content just to pass the exam, or students with no time to live because they have tutors for every course to make sure they do well. We were raised in an environment that has taught us it's ok to do this. Since second grade I remember being assessed by everything I did with a giant red number at the top of my page, sometimes, there wasn't even explanations as to why I received the grade. Now, I know that it's not the grade that truly matters, if not the feedback you receive; that feedback means opportunities for growth as to a grade being a fixed point: theres no changing it until the next time an opportunity is given to you.
In the IA we steer off as much as possible from grades. We believe that numbers don't define you, your work does. But unfortunately most of the world still uses numbers as a way to standardize students into a scale (for the IB, the scale runs from1-7).
So, the way we do it in the IA is by talking to each other about what we D E S E R V E, what we E A R N, and what we need to I M P R O V E. After all our feedback is given, we resemble it all into a grade we thing reflects our level of work.
Having enough trust within our group is extremely important. We have to know that everything we say is feedback, and we want everyone in the class to be the best they can possibly be, because we care. When the time comes that we put all our work into a grade, we all pitch in. If you have something to say, this is the time to say it. It's a straight talk of 13 students. Im not going to lie, it's not always easy, but I feel that our group has grown to be very trustworthy within ourselves. Compared to last year, we are so much closer than before, and I think thats incredible!
We give each other feedback so we can improve, there's no taking it personally nor hating because of what you're told. When I was the one being given a grade, I took all the comments I was given as growing blocks. I always knew I had things to improve on, but it's not always easy to know exactly what it is without some help from others perspectives. Straight talks are extremely helpful; these grades are mid-term, which means nothing sticks. The feedback I received from my classmates can be tackled and changed by the end of the semester. All I need to do now, is keep my head up, charge for opportunities, push my limits and go for the opportunities that are given to me.
We give each other feedback so we can improve, there's no taking it personally nor hating because of what you're told. When I was the one being given a grade, I took all the comments I was given as growing blocks. I always knew I had things to improve on, but it's not always easy to know exactly what it is without some help from others perspectives. Straight talks are extremely helpful; these grades are mid-term, which means nothing sticks. The feedback I received from my classmates can be tackled and changed by the end of the semester. All I need to do now, is keep my head up, charge for opportunities, push my limits and go for the opportunities that are given to me.
Our grading system would have no meaning if we didn't act upon what we talk about. It's one thing to be able to receive constructive feedback, but it's another to be able to change your work for the better. As I mentioned before, the semester isn't over, theres still TIME to CHANGE. In order to do so I need to work hard, be dedicated and organized. Thats my goal this semester: not to receive a better grade in the class, but to become a better student by breaking bad habits and creating new good ones. Grades will rise naturally with consistent hard work. But you may be wondering where I'm going to take the feedback from here. I'll take all the feedback I've received and RTPC (explained below) it!