Today a student came to me very happy and excited. He is a hyperactive child, academically not quite on-par with the class. He said he has got eight out of ten and, nine out of ten marks in recent exams. "My parents will be so happy today when I tell them that I got good marks", he said.
I should know, I am the one who gave those marks. But I was surprised to see his reaction to it. The real fallacy of the situation struck me a couple hours later. He didn't say he got good marks. The child was happy because his parents will be satisfied to see his good marks. It was the parents approval that the child was seeking. These marks are to his credit no more occurs to him.
Undue emphasis that parents have put on children's marks has this unseen and sad flip-side. Marks is what the children earn to keep their parents happy.
Shouldn't marks be something that gives a child a sense of his or her intrinsic worth ? Like, I am so good, or I have understood so much correctly ? We want marks to be objective evaluation of students competence. So many thesis have been written about standardized testing etc. Yet, in reality, marks have bizarre consequences and social implications.
I am happy for the child. These are rare occasions when he can get good marks on standardized tests. Yet in some sense I am sad for him.
I should know, I am the one who gave those marks. But I was surprised to see his reaction to it. The real fallacy of the situation struck me a couple hours later. He didn't say he got good marks. The child was happy because his parents will be satisfied to see his good marks. It was the parents approval that the child was seeking. These marks are to his credit no more occurs to him.
Undue emphasis that parents have put on children's marks has this unseen and sad flip-side. Marks is what the children earn to keep their parents happy.
Shouldn't marks be something that gives a child a sense of his or her intrinsic worth ? Like, I am so good, or I have understood so much correctly ? We want marks to be objective evaluation of students competence. So many thesis have been written about standardized testing etc. Yet, in reality, marks have bizarre consequences and social implications.
I am happy for the child. These are rare occasions when he can get good marks on standardized tests. Yet in some sense I am sad for him.
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