You’re not stupid: Grades don’t define you
Numerous notecards and scores lay flat on a table. Photo taken by Jakob Woo-Ming.
The teacher raises the graded tests and begins handing them out row by row.
The students in front of you get their grades first. You hear joyful screams of 96s, 98s, 93s, all high-quality grades. You smile, eager to see your paper.
When the paper reaches you, your smile falters. At the top of the paper, circled in a big red pen, is a big fat B-.
Everyone receives bad grades at one point or another. I should know; I’ve gotten plenty of them.
When the negative emotion hits you, it tends to spin into a downward spiral. There’s that feeling you get when your whole table, or the whole class, did better on it than you. You feel alone, thinking you’re the only one who scored low.
You plea the teacher for test corrections and extra credit. You mourn and look for things to blame to prove it wasn’t your fault.
Whether it is or isn’t your fault is difficult to determine. Sometimes you got stuck in the hospital from an illness or fracture. Other times you spent just a little too much time on Trivia Crack instead of studying. Whatever the reason, eventually you’ll need to accept the hit to your overall grade and move on.
But hold on. Before you drown yourself in ice cream and a Netflix marathon, step back for a second. Look at the whole picture.
Is your future in turmoil because you got a C on your science test, or because you have the dreaded 89.4 grade after a round of weekly quizzes? Your future is not determined by one quiz grade. Or two, or ten, or even 35. It’s your future, so you should be the one deciding it, right? Not some numbers and letters an adult typed out on a computer.
In high school, it is difficult not to let our grades get to us. Our generation is going through a time of tests, standards and benchmarks that lead to competition, competition and competition. Especially when college is on the line for seniors, a single SAT score pits thousands of potential dollars on the line. These tests tell us that we won’t do well in school if we don’t get a high grade.
This results in more stress towards doing well, and more anger and negativity when we are not doing well. Our cultures focuses too much about our ranking in a class instead of what we’ve actually learned in it. We need to realize that our grades do not determine who we are as people.
What does that the grade on your report card tell you? A report card tells you how well someone is at memorizing information and the ability to express it in a writing or speaking format. Aside from a few exceptions, that’s it.
A report card does not tell you about your personality, humor, work ethic, athletic ability, devotion to the arts, or your job experience. A report card does not tell you about your curiosity, compassion, or your friendliness.
A report card does not know about how you flew halfway across the world to help people in need, or how much time you spend putting others before yourself. A report card does not know how much time and effort you put into your assignments and essays.
There are so many wonderful things about every individual person that a report card cannot express.
No matter what grade you get, you’re still you. You’re not hurt. You’re still alive. You still have friends and family.
It may be simple to understand, but difficult to put to heart. That’s okay.
This does not mean, however, that we can forget about grades and party hard through high school. Grades still matter. We just should not use them as the only way to define a person, or to define ourselves.
At the end of the day, we’re all human. We can’t do everything. Earth is full of endless possibilities and we shouldn’t spend our time lamenting over a B-.
Alyssa • Apr 24, 2018 at 1:28 pm
This made me feel a little bit better but what i’m mad about is that i always get the same grades. Even if i stay positive or work really hard I get bad grades and it makes me feel stupid and dumb because i’m not getting any better and that’s where I stop believing in myself. It’s also hard when your parents are expecting a lot from you but what am i supposed to show them? I can’t show them my bad grades. I just want to make them proud but we don’t have the same parents, other parents will probably cheer their children if they get bad grades and other parents get really mad and disappointed. My friends get good grades and they always try to cheer me up but it’s easy for them to say because they’re not the ones who got bad grades. Anyways i really liked this! a really good article
Kay • Jun 16, 2018 at 10:07 am
Hi Alyssa,
I understand that you work hard but always get the same grades. It may be that you haven’t learned how to tell the difference between what is important and what is not. If you think all the information is equally important, then you may have trouble remembering it all. I suggest focusing on knowing the difference between a topic sentence, main points, details, and sub details. Learning how to outline material is a great start. If you go to an education store or teacher supply store, you can buy a book on outlining that will give you practice material to work with to train yourself. You might find interesting and helpful information about outlining online or in the library too. Also, being trained in outlining techniques helps during a lecture because as you’re listening to your teacher or professor, you can take notes on the lecture in outline form, distinguishing what’s being said into main points and details. Once you can do this, then you can include your teacher’s ideas in your essays. You can outline science books, essays, novels, practically anything. This is a skill that will help you all your life, and it’s one you can pass on to your children one day. It’s the best way to get an A.
Good Luck!
M.Yasher • Dec 22, 2016 at 9:35 pm
I think that he is write because i also got bad marks sometimes see his ability not the grade .Grades can be change anytime.You can get bad marks after hard work also i is all on god that who is best and who is worse Allah all mighty give us ability of getting good grades in the world and in life after death
Dari • Oct 27, 2016 at 3:07 am
I am a group leader and I tell you that grades are very important in monthly final and all tests and also in class
Hannah Grefe • Mar 20, 2015 at 1:21 am
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that as high school students we shouldn’t worry about the bad grades we get. He says that when we get a bad grade, before destroying our self-esteem that we need to look at the big picture. The big picture such as the things the report card doesn’t show us. The things like work ethic, compassion, personality, and curiosity are very important. Those characteristics are important and they are not shown on the report card.
Ming claims by first challenging that your future doesn’t depend solely on our grades. I think its clear that he wants us not to fret over something as silly as grades. When you do the best you can there is no point in stressing your life away over the results. Whether the results be good or bad when you compare a couple tests to your entire life ahead of you they are very little. When he is saying to relax when it comes to your grades though he doesn’t mean to forget about your grades.
Jakob Woo-Ming purpose is to state that even though grades are important that you shouldn’t let them define you. If you get a bad grade every once and while its not going to ruin your life. This work is significant because it helps people to not get so upset over a couple bad grades. I think that when we work toward something then don’t get the goal we want, we shouldn’t be upset. We tried our absolute hardest, that is all we can do.
Do you agree that we shouldn’t get torn up over a grade that isn’t exactly what we wanted?
Elise Brodie • Mar 19, 2015 at 2:54 pm
Jacob Moo Wing argues that grades do not define your future, you do. He claims that a report card cannot express the individuality of a person, or what they actually learned from each class.
He develops this claim by first telling how much high schoolers stress about their grades and how that stress causes other anger and negativity. Moo Wing then says that our culture focuses far too much on test grades than the effort put in, or the actual qualities of the person. Lastly, the author explains how no matter what grade you get, you are still you, and no grade or report card could ever tell anyone about your personality or qualities.
Jacob Moo Wings purpose is to provide a new point of view toward grades and school in order to let the reader know that grades do not decide their future, they do. This work is significant because it explains how there are so many wonderful things about a person that a report card could never express.
Is this what you were trying to get across as the point throughout your article?
noah • Mar 19, 2015 at 2:43 pm
Noah Markwald
3-18-15
English
Rhetorical Template
Jakob Woo-ming argues that no matter the grade , your grades do not define you. He claims that student tend to get overwhelmed and overpowered by the lower their grade is. Woo-ming develops his claim by first describing the stress and bad emotions a student feels when they fail a test or grade. They continue to explain that no matter the letter , your life goes on. Your family and friends are still with you. Lastly , the author describes that mistakes are common and humanly. Jakob Woo-ming’s purpose is to get the message across to not let your grades affect you negatively. This work is significant because it helps calm and positively reinforce students.
Alex van Hoorebeke • Mar 19, 2015 at 2:31 pm
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that we should not let a letter grade destroy our future. He claims that we all get bad grades in our life and that it is not the end of the world if we get one bad grade. Woo-Ming develops this claim by first saying our culture is not about soaking the information up as it is competition to see who does best in the class. We should drop our competitive nature with grades and focus more on our own grades because if we get too distracted in competition we will forget the real reason we are at school. Woo-Ming says a report card does not describe you. Only you can choose who you are while a piece of paper does not show your character, personality, feelings, or anything of the sort. Lastly, the author says although we should not let letters on paper classify who we are, does not mean we should party hard all high school year.Because we still need them but just do not let them say that you are not good enough and you are terrible at everything. Jakob Woo-Ming’s purpose is to show us that grades cannot tell a person who they are, only you can show who you are through your actions. In order to to stop letting yourself get a sense of competition and not just compete to see who is best, you should try and understand best of your ability and see if your own pace at work helps better than racing. This work is significant because it is a real eye opener and it is true. We should not let school ruin who you are and always stay true to yourself.
Did these words explain your article correctly?
Elise Brodie • Mar 19, 2015 at 2:29 pm
Rhetorical Prècis
Jacob Moo Wing argues that grades do not define your future, you do. He claims that a report card cannot express the individuality of a person, or what they actually learned from each class.
He develops this claim by first telling how much high schoolers stress about their grades and how that stress causes other anger and negativity. Moo Wing then says that our culture focuses far too much on test grades than the effort put in, or the actual qualities of the person. Lastly, the author explains how no matter what grade you get, you are still you, and no grade or report card could ever tell anyone about your personality or qualities.
Jacob Moo Wings purpose is to provide a new point of view toward grades and school in order to let the reader know that grades do not decide their future, they do. This work is significant because it explains how there are so many wonderful things about a person that a report card could never express.
Shaedin • Mar 19, 2015 at 2:29 pm
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that your grades don’t define you as a person. He claims that just getting a couple bad grades doesn’t matter.
Woo-Ming develops this claim by first saying a B- is a bad grade and that having that makes you unhappy. Woo-Ming continues by saying procrastinating and doing and getting a B- makes you depressed for the rest of the day.
Lastly the author talks how a B- is soo much more worse than a 98% and in order to do this they put down grades by saying “they don’t define you and then they put them down”
this is significant because they say they don’t define you but they’re defining you in the article.
Did i properly explain your article?
Abbie • Mar 19, 2015 at 2:28 pm
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that grades do not define us and that we should not freak out over a low grade. He claims that just because your report card shows a certain grade, they don’t grade your personality, or anything else about you. Woo-Ming develops the claim by first giving an experience of when the whole class gets good grades and you get the one bad grade. Woo-Ming then goes on to explain how you can have so many more talents and just because you get a bad grade does not make you a bad person. Lastly the author adds that you should decide your future not some grade an adult typed onto a computer. Jakob Woo-Ming purpose is to show students that they shouldn’t let a bad grade decide who they are going to be, in order to show them that it’s their personality that really defines them. This work is significant because it really does show you how just because you get the lowest scores in your classes does not change who you are. It’s what you do to help others,how you treat people, and your unique smile and laugh that really define who you are.
Did my words explain your article correctly?
Mikayla Torres • Mar 19, 2015 at 2:26 pm
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that although grades are important we should not let them define who we are. He claims that a report card cannot determine the personality of an individual, nor the things that the person is passionate about. Woo-Ming develops this claim by first analyzing what one feels when receiving a bad grade, and how students often allow it to get them down. Woo-Ming explores why students allow grades to define them and also why students should not allow grades to do so. Lastly the author states that students should still care about grades and put effort forth, but also we are only human and not perfect. Jakob Woo-Mings purpose is to inform students in order to tell them that we all make mistakes and we should not let those define us, and also not to judge others based on their mistakes. This work is significant because it touches on an important subject that is not often addressed, but this is a message that needs to be heard because many students allow their grades to define them and their future.
Did I properly explain your article?
Jonah Cranford • Mar 19, 2015 at 12:51 pm
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that obtaining a certain grade doesn’t necessarily consider you stupid. He claims that no matter what grade you achieved, it doesn’t reflect on who you are as an individual.
Woo-Ming develops this claim by first expressing how the amount of quizzes you may fail has no impact on the future ahead of you. Woo-Ming states how you’re standing compared to other students academic grades doesn’t determine who we are as people. Lastly, the author points out the report cards unattended feature of describing the student’s personality and character traits along with their scholastic grades.
Jakob Woo-Ming’s purpose is to assist students into not centering their qualities and aspects on grades alone in order to accommodate their well being as an individual and understand grades don’t decide who you are and not. This work is significant because he persuades students into realizing that a grade in a certain assignment or class won’t impact your attributes later in life.
Do you truly believe that no matter the outcome of your grade, whether you poured hours upon hours of studying and preparing for a quiz or test, doesn’t define who you are as an individual?
Sophia Shhadeh • Mar 19, 2015 at 12:48 pm
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that grades don’t define you. He claims that a low score or grade on a test or quiz will not affect your future.Woo-Ming develops this claim by first re-creating the feeling of a low score and then by explaining that it’s not all about grades but about your good qualities. Woo-Ming clarifies that even from one to thirty five bad test scores, it won’t affect your future because your grades don’t decide your future. You do. Lastly he explains that your report card is based on your ability “at memorizing information and the ability to express it in a writing or speaking format.” Jakob Woo-Ming’s purpose is to tell students that good personable qualities are great traits for your future in order to explain that your future doesn’t entirely depend on your high school grades. This work is significant because many students, when receiving a bad grade, feel down and worry about how this one test or quiz will affect their future.
Is this the response you were looking for?
Ali DeMaria • Mar 19, 2015 at 12:46 pm
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that grades do not define a person and who they are. He claims that everyone at some point in their life get a bad grade at least one time.
Woo-Ming develops this claim by first stating that you may be sick in the hospital or just too lazy to try in school. Woo-Ming exclaims that it is our own choice and responsibility to determine our future, that grades to not define that. Lastly, the author clarifies that our culture focuses too much on who gets the highest grade in the class other than what we actually learn from that class.
Jakob Woo-Ming’s purpose is to comfort readers and tell them that not everyone gets straight A’s their whole life, in order to help keep a positive outlook on mistakes. This work is significant because it tells people that you can’t always be the best, and that through this article people can understand that grades do not define who they are. Am I correct with what you were trying to get across to the reader?
Ally Borgeson • Mar 19, 2015 at 12:44 pm
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that grades you get in school don’t define you as a person. He claims that if you get a bad grade on a test or quiz your not stupid and you shouldn’t be let down on one bad grade.
Woo-Ming develops this claim by first investigates bad grades and how everyone gets at least one bad grade in their high school experience. Lastly the author explains how you get depressed with your bad grade and that it’s okay because it’s just one letter.
Jakob Woo-Ming purpose is to uplift our spirits and inform us that we are not alone in our sadness of our bad grade. This work is significant because you’re not perfect, you will get some bad grades in your life but you have to learn how to overcome the one “D” you got in math and work harder next time.
Is this what you intended for the readers to get out of this article? Is this what you were trying to get ar?
Steven richter • Mar 19, 2015 at 12:44 pm
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that the grades you receive do not define who you are as a person. He says that the report card you receive will not ever make up your personality. Woo- Ming first states that the grade you get doesn’t determine what you are going to do with your life, but rather that you determine what you are going to do with your life. Woo-Ming explains that today’s culture teaches you that grades are everything, but grades don’t actually determine who you are. Woo-ming finishes by saying that we may not be able to get the grade we wanted but we are still smart.
Although you say grades don’t determine your future, don’t grades determine what collages you can go to?
Andrew • Mar 19, 2015 at 12:41 pm
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that your grades do not define you. He claims that a bad grade does not decide the rest of your future, but your choices do. The author develops his claim by setting the scene with that moment in class when you receive your test. It’s important to know that being over-self-conscious about your grade is never good. He challenges you to not worry about your grade and not be troubled by other’s grades being higher than yours. Woo-Ming writes to encourage students who have grade trouble and are feeling down on themselves.
This work is significant because he tells us, and supports the claim that grades aren’t everything. Jakob Woo-Ming shows you why you need not fret over a “B-“.
Do you feel like it would be better not to share your grade score with others to avoid the following; 1) making them feel bad about their grade. 2) feeling embarrassed about your grade?
Kanin Endsley • Mar 19, 2015 at 12:39 pm
Jakob you do not have to feel alone. The author develops this by showing how you feel when you receive a poor grade. The author is trying to show people that there is more than life than just grades, Some adult does not have the right to judge you only you can do that.
Wu Ming Wu Ming argues that grades don’t define you. He claims that everyone gets bad grades and develops this claim by saying that you shape your own future not the adult that gave you a bad grade. The letter grade you get does not define you. “ Report card does not know how great you are all they know is that you are not as gifted in the speaking arts.” Lastly the author says grades are important but don’t let them get to your head.
Jakob Wu Ming made this paper to educate kids that getting bad grades is not the end of the world. In order to get good grades you need to believe in yourself. This work was well written and significant because it informed people that get low grades that its nothing to be ashamed of. Hopefully kids start believing themselves and raise those grades.
This is how I interpreted the article how did you interpret it?
Ally Borgeson • Mar 19, 2015 at 12:38 pm
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that grades you get in school don’t define you as a person. He claims that if you get a bad grade on a test or quiz your not stupid and you shouldn’t be let down on one bad grade.
Woo-Ming develops this claim by first investigates bad grades and how everyone gets at least one bad grade in their high school experience. Lastly the author explains how you get depressed with your bad grade and that it’s okay because it’s just one letter.
Jakob Woo-Ming purpose is to uplift our spirits and inform us that we are not alone in our sadness of our bad grade. This work is significant because you’re not perfect, you will get some bad grades in your life but you have to learn how to overcome the one “D” you got in math and work harder next time.
Is this what you intended for the readers to get out of this article?
Shelby Sanborn • Mar 19, 2015 at 10:56 am
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that grades do not define who students are as a person. He claims that the students of Classical Academy live in a generation where we stress over our grades even though it doesn’t judge the teens’ work ethic,abilities, or their job experiences. Woo-Ming develops his claim first showing empathy for the teens that go through the experience of getting a bad grade. Woo-Ming explains how our generation focuses on how well we do at a school instead of focusing on what we actually learned. Lastly, the author highlights the fact that even though grades don’t define who the students are, the students should still care about their school grades. Jakob Woo-Ming’s purpose is to tell the Classical Academy students that we should not be stressing about our grades. This work is significant because it allows our high school student to focus on more than just grades; to see the big picture of how everything affects our future and you’re more than just your grades. You said that we shouldn’t be stressing over our grades but are still important. Should we be freaking out if we fail a class, even if the student worked their best?
Emma Davis • Mar 19, 2015 at 10:55 am
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that the grades we make don’t determine who we are or what we’re like. He claims that everyone has made a bad grade before, and we shouldn’t let it make us upset. Woo-Ming develops this claim by first describing how the average student feels when a low grade is earned: the whirlpool of dread and guilt. Woo-Ming provides information about report cards don’t tell of our non-academic successes. Lastly, he reinstated how we are all simply human and we make mistakes. Jakob Woo-Ming’s purpose it to reassure us that grades aren’t labels — in order to help us be confident in the fact that we are all allowed some mistakes. High school students have a tendency to let their academic level define who they are and what they’ll be, so this work is Woo-Ming reaching out to us to prove that we all matter.
Jakob Woo-Ming: Is this a general idea of what you are conveying in your article?
— Emma Davis
Lauren O'Loughlin • Mar 19, 2015 at 10:51 am
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that students should not let poor grades define themselves. He claims that all students receive bad grades every once in a while and students allow themselves to ‘become’ their grades. Woo-Ming develops this claim by first proving that a student’s future is not determined by one grade. Woo-Ming also shows that in high school, it isn’t difficult to allow grades to get to the minds of the students. One grade doesn’t physically hurt a student nor does it affect a student’s personality. Lastly, the author states that students shouldn’t allow one bad grade impact themselves. Jakob Woo-Ming’s purpose is to keep CAHS’ student’s heads up. This work is significant because it encourages students to not become depressed over one test score. Does anyone else agree with me?
Cameron Donez • Mar 19, 2015 at 10:50 am
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that grades do not define a person. He claims that grades are not the most important thing in life, and ones actions are more important than any letter grade. Woo-Ming develops this claim by pointing out how “A report card does not tell you about your personality, humor, work ethic, athletic ability,…” and several more points. Woo-Ming points out, that “no matter what grade you get, you’re still you.” Lastly, the author mentions that while grades shouldn’t bother your personality, he does point out that grades are still important. Jakob Woo-Ming’s purpose is to make sure that while grades are important, you shouldn’t let them change you as a person in order to provide a moral boost to students. This work is significant because it points out a point generally missed by the majority of society. Do you agree with my interpretation? Cameron Donez
Kassandra Abirgas • Mar 19, 2015 at 10:43 am
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that high school students often judge themselves on the grades they get in school. He claims that many high school students often use their bad grades to define themselves, when they shouldn’t. Woo-Ming develops this claim by first stating that one C on a quiz does not determine the college you go to or even if you graduate high school. Woo-Ming implies that this generation focuses on how you score in a class rather than what you actually learned in it. Lastly,the author reminds that a report card only tells a student how well a student memorizes but does not define who you are as an individual. Woo-Ming’s purpose is to remind that one’s grades does not define their personality in order to prevent students who do believe this is true. This work is significant because to some students this is true so bringing attention to it may decrease the victims.
Do you agree that this was the message of your article?
trevor • Mar 19, 2015 at 10:43 am
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that your grades don’t define who you are, they are only numbers. He
claims that your grades don’t show your work ethic, personality, or kindness. Woo-Ming develops his claim by stating that a B- won’t harm the rest of your life. The purpose of this article is to raise awareness for grades and how numbers don’t define you. This work is significant because many people define themselves by their grades and it is a growing problem. Lastly, the author says that whatever your grade is, you’re still you. would you agree with my statement?
Ethan • Mar 19, 2015 at 10:42 am
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that you’re not stupid and that grades don’t define who you are or your work ethic. He claims that getting a B on your test will not affect the rest of your life. Woo-Ming states that even if the people around you are getting good grades and you don’t get a good grade doesn’t mean that you didn’t get the lesson; it just means that you made a small mistake in some cases. Lastly, Jakob Woo- Ming argues that everyone has gotten at least one bad grade in their life. Jakob Woo-Ming’s purpose is to provide the reader with information about how getting a bad grade on tests or quizzes defines you as a person. This work is significant because he took time and effort to write this article. Would you agree with my Statement.
Ethan
Savannah Benton • Mar 19, 2015 at 10:41 am
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that your grades don’t define you. He claims that we shouldn’t spend our time worrying about grades, although we shouldn’t neglect them completely. Woo-Ming develops this claim by first expressing the fact that we have all had our bad grades here and there. Woo-Ming confesses his fair share of not-so-great grades. Lastly, the author explains that this does not in any way interfere with who you are or what you’ve done. Jakob Woo-Ming’s purpose is to get this information out in order to help people out with how they feel about a bad grade, making a more positive affect towards them, but making sure that grades aren’t absolutely ignored. This work is significant because not everyone that works hard is an A+ student. Is this the message you were promoting?
Damaris Eddy • Mar 19, 2015 at 10:41 am
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that grades do not make who you are and how one bad grade does not hurt you. He claims that one bad grade does not make your future. Woo-Ming develops this claim by first setting the scene for a bad, disappointing grade. He then consoles the reader, explaining that it isn’t that bad when you look at the full picture. Lastly, he paints said picture for you. Jakob Woo-Ming’s purpose is to explain how a single bad grade does not affect your entire life in order to console and cheer up the reader. This work is significant because of the amount of teen depression, even in our school.
Would you agree with my analysis?
-Damaris Eddy
Morgan McHale • Mar 19, 2015 at 9:43 am
Jakob Woo-Ming Says that because you get a lower grade doesn’t mean you’re retarded. He also states that everyone at some point in their lives receives a grade that isn’t up to their standards. You feel alone when you get a grade lower than the rest of your class. The author develops the opinion by first showing the different strengths and weaknesses people have. He states that everyone gets bad grades once in a while. It doesn’t make you stupid, or not as good or smart as the higher scoring kids in your class just because you got a lower grade on a paper or test. Lastly Jakob Woo-Ming tells kids in high school that they are not stupid. and everyone is different. That you are human and are better in some areas than you are in others, and none of these weaknesses make you stupid.
Do you agree with my view on this article?
Rylie Pepper • Mar 19, 2015 at 9:41 am
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that there is more to a student then just their letter grades. He claims that students often get discouraged about sub-par grades and lose sight of the other wonderful things they might be as a person. “A report card does not tell you about your personality, humor, work ethic, athletic ability, devotion to the arts, or your job experience. A report card does not tell you about your curiosity, compassion, or your friendliness.” (Jakob Woo-Ming, Crimson News)
Woo-Ming develops this claim by first explaining how a student feels when they receive a bad grade; alone. He goes into the detail of how the student desperately asks the teacher for makeup work or extra credit while they are continually becoming more hopeless. Jakob states “Whether it is or isn’t your fault is difficult to determine. Sometimes you got stuck in the hospital from an illness or fracture. Other times you spent just a little too much time on Trivia Crack instead of studying. Whatever the reason, eventually you’ll need to accept the hit to your overall grade and move on.” Woo-Ming continues to explain how everyone gets bad grades at one point or another and that all you can do is learn from it and know that it isn’t the end of the world. Lastly, the author explains how grades don’t have to define your future and that there is so much more to a person than letter grades.
Jakob Woo-Ming’s purpose is to inform and give insight to students who might be feeling unnecessary pressure. He helps students understand that there is more to people than just their grades. This work is significant because Jakob proposes an idea toward grades and how grades don’t have to define us. Its our lives and we are so much more than letter grades.
Would you agree?
Tracy Potgieter • Mar 19, 2015 at 9:38 am
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that grades do not define who a person is. He claims that “there are so many wonderful things about every individual person that a report card cannot express.”
Woo-Ming develops this claim by stating that before you get all worked up about your low grade, first “look at the bigger picture.” Ask yourself if your future is in turmoil because you got a C on your science test. Woo-Ming explains that “your future is not determined by one quiz grade.” Lastly, the author points out that you should not use these arguments as reasons to party hard all through highschool, and that your grades do in fact still matter. “We just should not use them as the only way to define a person, or to define ourselves.” Jakob Woo-Ming’s purpose is to shed the light on how overly exaggerated most people interpret their grades in order to convince the reader not to base their self worth in their grades. This work is significant because it encourages students not to accept our societies common belief that your grades define you. Grades do not define a person, and should not be the standard by which someones value is based off of.
Would you agree?
Luke • Mar 19, 2015 at 9:36 am
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that your grades don’t define who you are. He claims that your report card doesn’t show your personality. Woo-Ming says that when (most) people get a bad grade it affects them in a pretty big way. They go into a downward spiral and feel alone. Woo-Ming states that your report card doesn’t show your personality, humor, or work ethic. Jakob’s purpose it to explain to people drowning in stress that even though your grades matter, they don’t show everything about you. This work is significant because almost everyone stresses about their grades, and everyone needs help to not worry so much.
I agree with this article because if you, say, are a war hero, your report card would still say that you’re just average. No matter how good or bad you are, your report card is unlikely to show it.
Makenna Roehr • Mar 19, 2015 at 9:30 am
Jakob Woo-Ming writes that grades don’t establish who you are. “Your future is not determined by one quiz grade.” He claims that you can’t judge yourself based on your report card, because “a report card does not tell you about your personality, humor, work ethic, athletic ability, devotion to the arts, or your job experience.” Woo-Ming suggests that when you receive a bad grade, although you may consider it the end of the world, it’s just one grade. “Your future is not determined by one quiz grade.” You can make up for it by doing better on the next quiz. Woo-Ming challenges that students need to realize that grades and report cards do not define us as people. He conveys that report cards don’t express the good deeds that you’ve completed or your personality. Lastly, the author affirms that while grades don’t define you, they still matter. Woo-Ming’s purpose in composing this article is to assure students that your grades are not who you are, and they don’t characterize you, in order to prevent them from lamenting and spending all of their time regretting that one grade instead of studying for the next quiz. This article is significant and important, for there are many students who are under the false impression that one bad grade could ruin their whole academic life. After all, “It’s your future, so you should be the one deciding it, right?”
Would you agree?
Lagsy • Apr 30, 2015 at 10:24 pm
I love this Mak haha
Jacob Harmon • Mar 19, 2015 at 9:29 am
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that grades don’t define you. He claims that your grades don’t define you.
Woo-Ming develops this claim by first saying that your future isn’t some letters an adult typed on a computer. Woo-Ming also states that a report card doesn’t show things like personality, humor, and athletic ability. Finally, the author finishes his argument by saying we are all human, and we won’t be able to get A’s on everything.
Jakob Woo-Ming’s purpose is to lift the spirits of people who are getting bad grades in order to get them to feel better about school. This work is significant because it helps people getting bad grades feel better about their grades.
My thoughts on this article:
I agree with this idea mainly because of the final argument. Everyone is human, and nobody is perfect. This is a great argument because it is purely based on fact. Every single person in existence has failed in something in one way or another. However, I do not agree with the second argument about a report card not showing humor and athletic ability. If you want your report card to show those, you can join speech and debate or some class like that and get a grade for that. For athletic ability, cohort shows that you have athletic ability, or you at least exercise. I think that I am neutral about the whole article because I agree with some points, but disagree with others.
Sarah Sleboda • Mar 19, 2015 at 9:24 am
Jakob Woo-Ming debates in his article “You’re not stupid: Grades don’t define you” that a test does not determine who you are, you define yourself. He claims that whatever grade you get, whether it is an A+ or a C-, it cannot describe you or who you are. So if you end up getting one bad grade, do not bring yourself down, after all it is just a number determining your ability to memorize.
Woo-Ming creates his first claim by stating that a grade is just a number typed into a computer based off a series of questions that can be memorized. Woo-Ming continues by saying that a grade is mainly based on what you can memorize, not by what you know and understand. We need to focus on understanding the subject, rather than memorization. Lastly, Woo-Ming concludes by saying, ”There are so many wonderful things about every individual person that a report card cannot express” (Woo-Ming, “You’re not stupid: Grades don’t define you”). Basically saying that your overall grades do not define you.
Jakob Woo-Ming’s purpose to writing this article is to tell other students that your grades do not show who you are, in order to tell students not to worry about one small mess up. This is a significant work because it tells the truth about grades; they do not decide who you are, only you can decide who you are.
Sarah Sleboda • Mar 19, 2015 at 9:28 am
Do you agree with my response?
Jeremy O'Brien • Mar 19, 2015 at 2:28 pm
Jakob Woo-Ming argues that grades don’t define your intelligence. He claims that one or many grades doesn’t determine your future. Woo-Ming develops this claim by first putting in a scenario in which you are receiving a bad grade. He says that it might or might not be your fault, but moping does not help. Woo-Ming explores the idea that even though your grades may be horrible, you still have a say in your future. Lastly, the author states that there are lots of things that a report card can’t tell about a person. Jakob Woo-Ming’s purpose is to convince you that even though your grades don’t define you, they still matter, in order to make you feel better about getting a bad grade. This work is significant because it convinces you to work hard without breaking down from the brick walls which are bad grades.
Jeremy O'Brien • Mar 19, 2015 at 2:29 pm
Do you agree with my response?