Although once meant to be an indicator of academic achievement, grades have created a pressure that has begun to warp student motivation and corrupt classrooms.

Grades used to be a simple symbol of how successful students were in class, and a bad grade did not mean a student deserved punishment, rather that they needed help. While the goal has always been to strive towards A’s and B’s, C’s were considered the average, and it was not a bad thing to be average. Nowadays, students feel as though they must receive the top marks, and will do anything to achieve such goals.

It is not uncommon for students to cheat on schoolwork, such as homework and tests, in order to get a good grade, and some students will even skip class to avoid receiving a bad grade. While these methods are not new, it has become a much more frequent occurrence. 

Students who were once striving to be their best are now breaking their morals simply to avoid getting bad grades. Cheating, skipping, and submitting work late are much more common now than they used to be, which is most likely due to the bigger importance placed on grades.

Combined with the forthcoming of artificial intelligence, the classroom is becoming a place that is less about learning and more about getting the best grade possible. A low grade should represent more time needed on a subject rather than labeling someone as a failure. Schools are supposed to cultivate a motivation to learn rather than a fear of failure.

Because of the high pressure to receive good grades, many students either lose motivation as the year continues, due to burnout, or only care about grades and do not absorb the actual content. Students need to remember that the ultimate goal is to learn and become more knowledgeable, which letters and percentages do not represent.