Throughout high school, students may feel pressured by teachers, peers and family to achieve good grades. Every student is expected to perform well in school because there is a great emphasis placed on how important grades are when it comes to college and careers.

“Grades definitely matter in the academic success of a person. Grades are one of the major deciding factors for if a person will get into college. Without good grades, a person is less likely to get accepted in a college that could help them reach a career goal. Grades, especially in high school, set the foundation for your college life and career for the rest of your life. Good grades will allow a person to use his or her knowledge that was obtained and have confidence in his or her abilities,” Rachel Eder (11) said.

Although grades play an important role in a student’s future, students should not only care about achieving a 4.0 GPA ,but also care about learning the material. Learning the material is seen as equally important as achieving high grades.

“I feel like the grade received and what you learned in the class are about equally important. A person should strive to achieve the highest grade possible. A high grade in a class is directly correlated with a lot of knowledge in the subject. Learning the material well will allow a person to receive a good grade in the class, and it is very hard to achieve a high grade without learning the material well. If a person strives to achieve a high grade, then he or she is definitely going to learn more along the way in order to do well. It is very difficult for a person to feel knowledgeable and confident in a subject that they are learning if they do not perform well in the class,” Eder said.

Along with learning the material, hard work is also as equally as important as grades. Grades often reflect a student’s work ethic and thus become great motivators for students.

“I think it’s important as early as possible for students to work as hard as they can and if grades are necessary to demonstrate the importance of hard work, then I think [an emphasis on grades is] necessary, but I think we can over emphasize grades and not emphasize enough that you need to learn. You need to work hard and so it’s a fine line. Teachers shouldn’t harp on grades, but sometimes they are great motivators,” Mr. Kendal Smith, Science, said.