school days

For one of my classes, I had to read an excerpt (chapter 1) from the book This Book is Not Required by I. Bell & B. McGrane. The first chapter deals with grades and their use in school systems and how much trouble it causes children and how it reverberates through the rest of their lives.

One paragraph that really struck me goes along the lines of: if grades disappeared 95% of people would stop learning all those things they dislike (conjugating verbs, organic chemistry, etc.). The system says this is exactly why we need grades, so people will learn. What would probably happen though is that after awhile people would become interested in learning again. They may think of something and wonder how it works and then they will go and find it out in their own way.
What it brought to mind: when I was a younger me in the K-12 system I worshipped the coming of summer just like everyone else, anything to be out of the classroom everyday. To be a master of me, so long as my parents approved. After 4-6 weeks of summer break though I became insufferably bored. I would then proceed to set up my own school. I did my own work in math, english, literature, science, and some times a foreign language. I switched topics when I wanted and worked at my own pace. I did not have to listen to other students' low-level questions. I even got my siblings to participate to an extent.

I would support a change in the grading system. I think my ideal system would be High Pass/Pass/No Pass. The No Pass is essential. It eliminates the negative implications of fail. Pass means you mastered the material. High Pass should not be given lightly. It should go to those who went above and beyond and took what they learned to another level. It would help relieve some of the pressure on kids. Maybe more of them would take an interest in learning. I wonder what it would take to convince school systems to give it a try.

On a similar note, I was sitting in a café studying and overheard the cashier talking with a friend. She started studying at a community college and took a couple history classes there. She loved the history classes. She sat in class, listened to the teachers, memorized the material, and parroted it back on the test. So after two years she transferred to the University as a history major. Now she hates her classes. All she does is read books and write papers and she doesn't understand why. I wanted to walk up and shake her. 'You are taking 4000 level classes, you are expected to show that you can think and reason and critique ideas. What kind of history related job did you think you would get that would not need those abilities?' *sigh*
I'm going to watch Eureka.