Sheila Perez | On 24, Jan 2022

Having straight A’s will get you anywhere and everywhere you want, at least that’s what the older generation would say. You always have to be on top of your homeworks, classworks, and always aim to get 90s or above in your tests and quizzes. They tell you to take Honors and/or AP classes, college courses, etc. However, no matter how high your grades are, if you are stressed and depressed it is not worth it. Anybody can have high grades, but how your mind thinks and processes things is what’s truly important when it comes to real life.

Taking all Honors, AP or College courses at a high school level might be a lot to handle at some point. You are expected to at least get an 85 or higher. Some classes might have the same paper or same quiz/test due on the same day. It’s hard to balance a social life and school with all the things that are due. Some students take adderall just to keep their grades up. However, there are some students that are talented enough to juggle their social life and school life. 

Nowadays grades are based on what you memorized and not what you learned. For example, students tend to ask “Is this going to be on the quiz/test?” It is more important for the students to know what is on the quiz/test than actually learning about the subject. They would rather memorize the test questions in order to really pass than to study everything and let their brains explode. Grades do not really show people’s skills such as creativity, leadership, social, emotional and even political. Besides, some of today’s most successful people did not even finish college and/or high school. People such as Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Paul Allen and more, are successful because of their skills, not their grades

Some students who have high grades lack manners. Intelligence does not always determine success. Being smart is not only based on your grades, sometimes it can also be about how you think about the world outside of the classroom. You can be the smartest person in this world, but if you don’t know basic manners, it’s hard to compete out there. Success also means thinking outside the box.

At some point in time, it is better for kids to have mental health days off. They need time to sit and breathe and not always have a schedule to follow. Students need a break to actually enjoy their life outside of school. Students tend to miss family occasions and friend’s milestones just to finish an assignment or study for a quiz or test coming up. A straight A student always tends to choose to put their grades above their mental health  so that their parents and others around them will be proud of them. They prioritize school over everything. 

For example, many students in the Philippines have missed family dinners, special occasions and sleep due to the amount of homework they have to do. It seems like they never get a break. Everyday is school; 24/7. Students are most likely not learning as much because they are trying to shuffle all of their due dates. Student’s tend to call it Hell Week when their schedules are jammed packed. This may not always be for a week but it could be for a whole semester or a month, a week. And Student’s best friend during Hell Week is coffee. 

Students should always try to have a balance of life and school, whether that person is a student-athlete, a straight A student or even a regular student. Not everything in life is about the success that you achieve based on your grades.