School, Grades and Anxiety

I wanted to just put this out here as I see more and more talk about stress/anxiety and grades.

I'm a parent, and grades cause me anxiety. And I HATE it. My son's grades cause me more anxiety than my own grades in high school ever did, which is funny. And he gets good grades. But I know he'll get the occasional "bad" grade on a test or a paper. And it gives me a lot of anxiety because I don't want it to harm his well-being and chances of getting into a good college.

When I was in high school, (a long, long time ago!) the only time my parents knew what my grades were is when the letter got sent home at the end of the semester saying what my grades are. Now, all the schools have websites you can go to see what the grades are real time. And I understand that it's meant to be a good thing - if grades start to slip you can know about it and catch it before it gets really bad. But for me, it's a terrible thing, and it actually makes me physically ill when I even think about the fact that I can log in and check grades. I'm scared to do it, because I don't want to see anything "bad."

All of this is terrible. And if I feel this way as a parent, I can only imagine how you students feel.

Let me tell you, I remember a time when I completely BOMBED a test. I mean, BOMBED. It was so bad I'm sure the only answer I got right was my name at the top of the page! I'll never forget that test. And the truly sad part is that I can't remember a time in high school when I ACED a test. I mean, I'm sure I did, but I don't remember one instance.

I remember the bad, but not the good.

Now, years later, I realize how completely insignificant grades are. No one on any job application has ever asked me about my grades. Never. They don't care that I got a D in Algebra. They do care if I can do the job I'm applying for.

So, try to not worry. Do your best, and try your best. That's all that matters. You're building your character and your personality and your way of thinking. The grades mean nothing. Even with my sorry grades in high school, I still went on to college, got a degree and had a successful career.