Heartbeats quicken, fingers cross, and feet tap nervously as teachers slowly progress around the room, calling off names and presenting papers to students. Hands quickly flip the papers over; eyes search for the grade; minds process the penned numbers momentarily then immediately proceed to either silently celebrate or despair.
More often than not, it is despair for small mistakes, rather than appreciation for pretty good grades.
Everyone knows the stress that accompanies the return of an important paper, test, or project; each instance seems to single-handedly alter the fate of one’s entire high school career and beyond. To some extent, this stress is beneficial as it drives students to reach their full potential. However, in many cases the stress leads to skewed patterns of thought which can seriously harm students’ mental health.
It may seem natural to assume that students focused on academic achievement will celebrate their successes with as much energy as they condemn their failures. Instead, many seem unaffected by their successes but severely distressed by the disappointment of slight failure. This line of thinking could be explained by the fact that if students expect themselves to succeed, instead of merely being hopeful, then a good test grade hardly seems worth celebrating. Consequently, any grade that falls below their definition of good is deemed unacceptable.
Paying attention to bad grades has some merit; it allows students to learn from their mistakes and refrain from repeating them. However, it is important to view graded tests and projects as opportunities for learning, not perfection.