Self-Esteem and Grading Essay - 650 Words

Death of a Salesman, and research performed by the American Psychological Society (subsequently renamed the Association for Psychological Science) show how grades and self-esteem share a direct correlation. In Death of a Salesman Biff and Bernard both demonstrate how grades and self-esteem correlate. In Death of a Salesman, Willie Lowman’s son Biff fails math in high school, because of this failure. Biff loses his self-esteem and therefore is unsuccessful. However, in contrast, Bernard passes all of his classes and is successful. Research performed by the American Psychological Society also supports the theory that grades affect self-esteem. The counter arguments will also be discussed to provide a complete synopsis. The first point†¦show more content†¦His father had always been the person he lived to impress, and needed approval from however being unable to gain back his father’s approval he spiraled. Another argument that could be made against this point is that Biff had self-esteem all along. However, if we look at Biff in the beginning of the novel we can see the confidence that Biff has as an athlete and student. This all changed when Biff realized that he failed math. Biff had the chance to be successful but when he lost his self-esteem that all changed for him. Instead of being able to live his dreams and become successful he was instead stuck in self-doubt. Opposite of Biff there is Bernard who passed all of his classes, and had the self-esteem to become successful. Bernard lacks self-esteem during social situations however he excels academically. Because of Bernard’s academic success he is able to have the confidence to exceed in life. Bernard focuses on his academic studies and passes all of his classes, unlike Biff because his grades reflect that he is successful. Knowing that he can succeed in school gives him the confidence to also succeed in life. Bernard becomes a successful lawyer who works large cases with prestige. He is able to use the confidence he gained from doing well in school to further his career and who he was as a person. A counter argument would be that Bernard is successful because of how hard he was pushed, but in comparison Biff was pushed just as hard as Bernard. Both boysShow MoreRelated Dissecting Education Essay971 Words   |  4 Pagesto show how well they are doing in school. But are grades the most effective way to show a studentamp;#8217;s progress and more importantly, what they actually learned? Some cal l grading amp;#8220;tyrannical and indefensible; and even go as far as saying the grading system is amp;#8220;criminal; (Lean 131-32). Grading is probably the most scrutinized of all practices in education. It is easy to see the difference between an amp;#8220;A; and an amp;#8220;F; in a subject like math where theRead MoreWhat Purpose Do Grades Serve?1153 Words   |  5 Pagesevaluate. Failing to do so does hamper a child’s desire to learn. A student on Alfie Kohn’s blog writes â€Å"I remember the first time that a grading rubric was attached to a piece of my writing†¦.Suddenly all the joy was taken away. I was writing for a grade — I was no longer exploring for me. I want to get that back. Will I ever get that back?† The negative effects grading has on children’s emotions and home life can be plainly witnessed around any dining table in America at homework time. Children asRead MoreWhat Thoughts Run Through Your Mind? Essay948 Words   |  4 Pagesthe system. Experienced the letter grading system since early elementary school, it is important not just to accept the system but to take a closer look at the system. I accepted the reality of the system ; time to inform myself about the system. After researching, I understand the three perspectives of the advantages, disadvantages, and a potential modification of the system. Therefore, I would like to assess multiple perspectives on the traditional A to F grading system by exploring the advantagesRead MoreImportance of Grades in School971 Words   |  4 PagesLauren Klein Mrs. Imani Stephen ENG 1101 23 October 2012 The Importance of Grades in School Alfie Kohn explains in his article, From Degrading to De-grading, that traditional letter/number grades are a waste of time. Kohn believes teachers wrongly relish the moments they get to assign a student a grade. His opinion of the best teacher is the one that despises the grade book and wonders about the thought of giving grades at all. Alfie Kohn provides many reasons supporting his beliefs. For exampleRead MoreGrades And Self Esteem By Randy Moore767 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Grades and self-Esteem†, the author Randy Moore, argues about self-esteem in students and their grades. He also claims that teachers should be genuine in giving grades to their students rather than focusing on their self-esteem. I agree with the author’s view regarding the grading system and disagree with the Moore, regarding building self-esteem in students. Moore argues that many schools are focusing more on building self-esteem rather than education standards in students. Self-esteem comes withinRead MoreParental Involvement: Impact on a Child’s Education Essay781 Words   |  4 Pagestheir children to choose subjects and courses they can pursue with passion and excellence. The involvement of parents in the education of their child also influences teachers (Jeynes, 2011). Since instructors play a significant role in rating and grading a child, â€Å"a high degree of parental involvement likely influences how the teacher perceives and even grades the child† (Jeynes, 2011, p. 55). According to Chance (1997), providing teachers with feedback about a child’s attitude and wellbeing can helpRead MoreGrades And The Esteem, By Randy Moore1117 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"Grades and Self- Esteem† What is self- esteem? Self- esteem is confidence in one’s own worth or abilities. In â€Å"Grades Self- Esteem†, author Randy Moore (2007) stated that the level of performance of the students decreased while schools are building the self- esteem in the students. Author Alfie Kohn (1994) stated in his article â€Å"The Truth about Self- Esteem† to contradict Moore’s opinion that academics and self- esteem are not related. Moore discussed some beneficial points which are useful forRead MoreAnalyzing and Argumentative Essay: Grades and Self-Esteem1093 Words   |  5 PagesAnalyzing an Argumentative Essay: â€Å"Grades and Self- Esteem† What is self- esteem? Self- esteem is confidence in one’s own worth or abilities. In â€Å"Grades Self- Esteem†, author Randy Moore (2007) stated that the level of performance of the students decreased while schools are building the self- esteem in the students. Author Alfie Kohn (1994) stated in his article â€Å"The Truth about Self- Esteem† to contradict Moore’s opinion that academics and self- esteem are not related. Moore discussed some beneficialRead MoreResponse to In Praise of the F Word827 Words   |  3 Pages they put their students at an immediate disadvantage and jeopardize their chances of getting into a better college. The biggest issue with Sherry’s plan to stop grade inflation is that she didn’t account for the fact that there is no universal grading system in the world. Grades are based on a criterion set by a particular teacher, and the teacher is the final person to decide what grade the student receives. An A student in one teacher’s eyes could very possibly be a C student in anothers’. ThereforeRead MoreAssessment Methods1351 Words   |  6 PagesThey are intended to help academic staffs who wishes to promote student engagement and self-regulation in learning http://www.strath.ac.uk/learnteach/teaching/staff/assessfeedback/12principles/16.30on 12/05/2010 The principles of good assessment are Help clarify what good performance is. Encourage time and effort on challenging learning tasks. Deliver high quality feedback information that helps learners self-correct. Provide opportunities to close any gap between current and desired performance