As a normal high school student, I tend to panic when I don’t do as well as planned in one of my classes. I stare at that grade and I cry, knowing that I could do better. It’s true, I do it all the time. My best friend tells me that I’m overreacting and that it’s no big deal, and she slaps me with a statement that bothers me for weeks:

“Grades don’t even matter.”

I think she is right in a way, but then again she isn’t.They matter to me because it shows how intelligent and how much potential I have. It brings me a sense of pride that since I can do well now, I can do even better in the future. But then again, if my dream is to become a journalist, and I have a good grade in English, but a D in science, then why should I care if that grade is bad?

Science just isn’t in my future, and it will never be. Take it from my perspective, some students should focus more on the classes that they will need for the future instead of ones that are irrelevant. There are complications to that, however, seeing as incoming freshman are being demanded to take certain courses and are being told that the classes “will dictate how you will do for the rest of your life.” It’s crazy to think that at such a young age, because in my situation, my science grade will not matter at all.

In fact, The New York Times article Do Grades Matter? reads that “The more you have relevant work experience in a particular area, the less important grades are.” Teachers want to push us to take different classes, but they are missing the point that they are unnecessary and if students end up with a bad grade, well, they’ll end up like me crying in seventh period.

A bad grade is like a little flaw. You can see it, but no one else can. It might seem like a big deal to you, but in reality it might not even matter or not make a difference. Huffington Post writer Lauren Schuhmacher, who is a college student, makes a good point, saying that

“I think that by caring too much about grades, most students are missing the point of education.”

You’re putting so much pressure on yourself so you can do well in the future, but the grades won’t matter once you’re there. Don’t let a little mark on a paper get to you. You are in school to educate yourself, not lose your mind. These grades will not dictate your future.