Your grades in high school/college

Temp108743750006959

For those of us who worked really hard for A's in hs/college -- do you ever wish you didn't work so hard?

"A" grades never came super easy for me in subjects other than English/Writing/Lit -- I got mostly A's but I had to work really hard. Math was a stress-inducing nightmare.

Now I look back and think why the heck I worked so hard. I've already decided I will not be pushing A grades for my son. I don't want him to be a slacker, but there isn't anything wrong with B's and the occasional A or C...

brightning

As someone who had to work for her As and Bs, I wish I hadn't worked so hard, either. In the end, nobody cares. But being a good student was part of my identity, KWIM? I didn't know how to not get good grades. I'll be totally fine if my DD is a B student. C .... not so much. And this is coming from a former teacher.

MelandJeff

Yep, I sure will push and I do. I dont push for straight A's and if she gets a C I expect her to work harder. It is a life lesson IMO, it may suck, but it teaches her to work hard.

Plus, she has to maintain her GPA in order for her to be a PSEO student (attending college and highschool at the same time) not too mention if she wants to get into a good colllege.

And, certain fields look at your college GPA as well, mine doesnt, but I know some of them do,

mags2041

Nah.  School was fairly easy for me and I was in the top 3 of my HS class.  I was pretty good in college, too, but it was much harder.  I knew my grades would have future relevence for me as I wanted to go to some sort of post-grad school (first med school, but I ended up getting my MBA).  I think having all those good grades were a definite advantage for me in applying to & getting in graduate school.  Now, I knew no one would ever look at those graduate grades, so I totally slacked on that one. 

We totally have high expectations for Luc in school since his dad was an overacheiver too (2 BAs, an M.Ed and working on his Ph.D).

 

Temp108743750006959

MelandJeff, good point. I guess it's prob hard not to push. thinking back, it was never my parents that pushed me -- it was myself...

oparcm

I will expect that dd do her absolute best and whatever grade that gets her, I'm fine with it.  I didn't get super high grades in high school but when I paid for college, I expected and did get A's.  I was paying for it and I worked very hard.

K-I-S-S-I-N-G

School was really easy for me- but even if it is not easy for DS I will expect A's and B's; to me, that is part of being a parent-fair or not!

buffalo_buckeye

adly it seems like it is getting harder to get into college lately. The schools I always thought were a sure thing are getting selective. Ohio States average ACT score of freshman was 28! And University of Buffalo expects no less than a 3.5 GPA for applicants. That's not very many B's to get in to a couple public schools.

oparcm

My district doesn't give out letter grades anymore and parents are freckin out about it.  We use a standards based report card and there are 86 standards on the report cards.  The "I want an A" parents are so messed up by this.

cbidt*sgirl

i didn't work all that hard in high school for my mostly A's and some B's.  I got mostly A's in college, especially once I started my major.  I don't regret working hard at all adn I actually wish I had started working harder sooner.  My college grades mattered for my grad school applications and my grad school grades mattered for my interneship and post-doc.  If I hadn't worked hard I might not have had the opportunities that got me to where I am today..in a position to work part time.

marrymemylove

I got As pretty easily in HS (barring 1 term when I totally slacked off). I wish I had had more fun instead. No one cares what you did in HS. I had friends who got 3 or 4 levels below me in tertiary scores, then had a FUN year in liberal arts and upgraded to law the next year. I just went from work to more work. Bugger that.

No one looks back from theirdeathbed and says "gee I wish I'd worked harder". 

Jodi&Joe

I didn't go to college --- I got good grades in high school rather easily (with little to no work).  It has backfired in adult life.  NOW is the time to work however I tend to just not take interest in ANYTHING that does take work.  I never had to in the past --- things just came easily to me.  Now when things don't come easily, I have a really shitty work ethic.

So I would be thankful you had to work for those grades -- and be especially thankful that you DID work for those grades.  Although maybe the grades themselves don't mean anything now, the LESSONS they taught do!!!!!!!!!

marrymemylove

Yeah but Jodie I worked damned hard at the beginning and the end of my good grades, I slacked off for a year or so I guess and didn't really feel the heat for it. Not as much as I should have.

But I probably have a shytty work ethic too because I see people all the time who work less and do better, and who work really hard and get no recognition. Being pissed off about that has led me on occasion to just say "why bother".

Having security and being nice and having good relationships doesn't require either a good work ethic OR working hard OR good grades. If you can get them without too much hard work great, and if you need to work for them then you probably should do that just until tertiary entrance at least. But I don't see a relationship with work ethic. Some of the best work ethic people I know had everything come easily, some of the slackest are those who tried hard for 20 years and never got rewarded. 

Isabella T.

I was enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Program, graduated with honors and earned the coveted diploma. If you know anything about IB, you know what my hs life was like. I also received both my undergrad + grad degree in less than 3.5 years.

To me, education is very important. I will do what I can to enhance DD's learning experiences.