Everyone young and old has heard the phrase “an A for effort” at some point in their lives. Teachers tell students this in order to make them feel better about their C so they don’t think that they underachieved. This sense of inadequacy comes from parents expecting their children to be perfect and elevating them to believe that they deserve an A for showing up.
Students can try as hard as they want in a class that is based on content, but even their most dedicated efforts can result in sub-par grades. Most students are not 4.0 scholars on a free ride to MIT, but that does not mean they try to achieve any less in their classes. The simple truth is everyone has different talents and different mental capabilities. Someone may try as hard as they can to get an A and succeed, but another student could put out their highest quality of work only to result in a B or C. Effort that is put into class work, homework, and projects is constantly overlooked by the appearance of the finished project and the content that it possesses instead of the time and effort that was put into the work, which is often not reflected in the score.
Typically, in order to meet the standards for a class and demonstrate knowledge of the material, one must get a C or higher. Why then do parents insist that students do better if the grade they got is their best? Sometimes that “A for effort” mentality only allows a student to barely pass a class with a D or C instead of receiving an A or B. Parents are disappointed in their child for getting C’s and meeting the average standards. There is a constant expectation for their children to go above and beyond those standards, but if everyone did that, then the standard would only raise. Then students would still receive C’s as grades, despite their greatest efforts to do better. While I do not believe that getting A’s for trying hard in a class is realistic since school is based on the knowledge one exhibits, I do believe that C’s should not be looked down upon.
C’s are representative of meeting standards and passing classes, but they have gained a negative connotation. While parents should encourage their children to work hard and get A’s and B’s, they need to stop being disappointed in their kids for passing classes. They should be if their children are giving their best work. Maybe then, the sense of entitlement to A’s that students have will not be so prevalent. Students should always try to do their best in school, but when it comes to your semester grade, passing a class should be seen as an accomplishment, and not as a shortcoming.