Denise Clark Pope's 'The Predicament Of Doing School'

522 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The Causes and Effects of Pressure on Students to Get Good

Denise Clark Pope, author of “The Predicament of Doing School,” has a P.H.D in teacher education at Stanford University. Dr. Pope did a year long study in a college prep school (Faircrest High, California) of observing and being a spectator. Dr. Pope observes the students tendencies. Even in a rich college prep school, student simply not learning the intended curriculum, let alone in a public school. She claims, “These students explain that they are busy at what they call ‘doing school.’ They realize that they are caught in a system where achievement depends more on "doing" - going through the correct motions - than on learning and engaging with the curriculum. Instead of thinking deeply about the content of their courses and delving into …show more content…

While looking into Faircrests’ “best and brightest”, she claims “Often their behavior contradicts the very traits and values many parents, students and community members expect schools to instill.” That is a very controversial statement that needs to be addressed because it is essentially saying that the school system doesn't do their job, as intended. A question she poses is “Why must students feel the need to manipulate the system and devise crafty strategies to get ahead?” Since she is claiming that the school system is not doing its job, and the students in return feel like they need to use the system (not as intended) to simply keep up or get ahead. In the next section, Dr. Pope explains the students perception of what they think grades actually mean. While some teachers think that grades merely represent effort, it means something totally different to a student. An interview with Eve (a grade centered student at Faircrest) revealed “That’s all I can think about… to get into [an Ivy League School] and become a successful $500,000-a-year doctor or engineer or whatever it is I want to be.” When Dr. Pope interviewed Eve's thoughts on grades, she said “This school turns students into robots...just going page by page, ‘doing’ the work, ‘doing’ the routine.” As stated by Eve, students don't feel like school actually helps them to achieve their end goal, which for many of them is to

Show More
Related

  • A's For Everyone Alicia Shepard Analysis

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    Most students do care about their grades and want to succeed, so they may go into argue their grades. As shown in examples though, parents become very upset with their kids if they do not achieve up to their high class standards. A very good point is made by Shepard. Not all kids are good enough to receive A's. Parents need to be satisfied with a B because that is in the upper part of the college usually. Obtaining an A or A plus should be almost a honor. Shepard grabs the attention of me and other people by discussing how getting a B should be relieving still, even if it isn't

    Read More

  • A Response to Steven Vogel’s “Grades and Money”

    831 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Grades and Money,” Steven Vogel makes it clear that he is disappointed and frustrated with what grades have become. He believes that grades have become commoditized and that students’ grades suffer because of their relation with money. Vogel also believes that students no longer take any risk with their education. I agree with Vogel that grades are being equated to money by students, that students’ work suffers because of grades, and that students no longer take risks in their educational process.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Ken Bain 's ' The ' Deep Learning '

    1724 Words  | 4 Pages

    Worrying too much about grades can cause students serious problems like not really understanding the work, make them not feel smart enough and lose interest in school and can cause anxiety and other health issues. In the article Mr. Bains said “ Indeed, there are several problems with strategic learners” (Project Information Literacy October 10, 2012 page1/4). One of the problems is students don 't really understand what they are learning if once they reach that high grade they want they will just stop. I am very guilty of only performing for the grade because I did it all throughout high school. I was taught that getting an A was the highest grade you can get so once I reached that A I...

    Read More

  • What Really Going on With the Grading System

    1242 Words  | 3 Pages

    In today’s society we feel the need to be graded in order to learn. The topic of the grading system has sparked three essays, by three different authors, about the pros and cons of the grading system. First, Jerry Farber, professor at University of California at San Diego, wrote A Young Person’s Guide to the Grading System (333). Next is Steven Vogel, professor at Denison University, who wrote Grades and Money (337). The last two authors in this compilation are Stephen Goode and Timothy W. Maier. They both are journalists for Insight on the News. While each of these authors have their own point of view on the grading system, all three essays talk about how being graded affects learning.

    Read More

  • Marita's Bargain By Gladwell

    739 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some students will go far enough to even cheat on an exam just to seem smart. Students believe the medal is worth more than what you did to get there. When a growth-minded student fails a test, they strive to learn what they did wrong, growth-minded students tend to work harder to be average but will achieve more in the long run. In the secret to raising smart kids, Dweck’s research on 60 fifth graders shows that a child's road to success is paved by the way they embrace their failures. The students were told that you are either born smart or just aren't cut out for academics.

    Read More

  • The Consequences of Grade Inflation

    647 Words  | 2 Pages

    When students arrive at university, professors expect them to understand the material to an exceptional standard. The problem is that grade inflation is occurring more regularly in secondary schools and universities across the country and when these students’ marks are sent to universities or colleges, the student may be given multiple scholarships for something that he/she should not have earned. Grade inflation is conceived between both students and teachers, meaning that the students are given higher grades when they have inadequate learning, reading, and verbal skills, while the teachers do not have to grade as many papers as they should in the real curriculum. There have been multiple examinations that have confirmed that grade inflation is very real and still occurs today. Students seem to think that they do not need to put forth much effort in school to do well and grade inflation encourages this thought.

    Read More

  • Does Grade Inflation Matter

    1080 Words  | 3 Pages

    Grades should motivate the students, but only the ones that

    Read More

  • Why So Many Exams: A Marxist Response By Bertell Ollman

    1387 Words  | 3 Pages

    “For one paper, the grades ranged from 50 to 99; for the other, the grades went from 64 to 99” (515). This incredibly wide range shows the grading system is not fair or an accurate method of measuring intelligence or ability. If students are taught to blindly trust their test scores, when they get lower scores than their peers, they start to feel as if they are not good enough. Students constantly share and compare test scores, which leads to them “viewing each other as competitors for the best grades” (Ollman 517). Feeling this way can lead to overexertion, stress, depression, and other mental and physical problems, and

    Read More

  • Maryellen Weimer: An Empowering Experience

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    This can be caused by multiple factors one of which is the lack of empowerment in what they are doing. A journal, written by Maryellen Weimer, accurately defines empowered learner as “a person ‘who’ finds tasks meaningful, feels competent to perform tasks, and feels his/her efforts have an impact on the scheme of things”. I began my journey to becoming an empowered learner as I sat in the art classroom at De La Salle

    Read More

  • Hard Work Smart

    751 Words  | 2 Pages

    It really making them soft All student strives for good grades but many of them don’t want to work for it. However, many kids in today society think that they don’t have to work just as hard as everyone else. Most student in today world think that if we are trying are best that should mean something, when they are getting graded on tasks. Giving effort should not be a main factor in grading, because it will devalue the grading system. Which bring me to my point in this problem, first one is students think they are giving full effort

    Read More

  • Should Students Get Paid For Good Grades

    1792 Words  | 4 Pages

    Scientists say that students will only learn until they get their reward, then they stop. It also discourages students who may not do the best in school. When they don’t get a good grade, it makes them feel bad about themselves. In many of these articles, I’ve also found debate with whether students should just be paid for good test scores or if students would be paid for simply good grades.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Good Grades

    1038 Words  | 3 Pages

    “What makes a child gifted and talented may not always be good grades in school, but a different way of looking at the world and learning.” That’s what the senior United States Senator from Iowa Chuck Grassley once said. When students get a “F” on their exam, that does not necessary means they are stupid, or they do not know the material. It could only mean they have a different way of learning, or a different way of explaining the material which the teacher is not aware of. There are different ways of learning that students have, and there are different ways they apply their knowledge into real life. Therefore, grades are not the best way to judge the students’ standing in their classes, nor is it the best way to judge their learning process. In addition,

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On The Grading System

    1064 Words  | 3 Pages

    A statement from the Huffington Post states, “From a very young age, we are told the importance of getting good grades. Especially in high school, we are told time and time again that our grades affect what college we will get into. While grades are extremely important, people often forget about the importance of learning, not just getting good grades. There is a difference between the grade received in a course and the amount of learning that took place in the course.” Parents and institutions should teach the importance of learning. The society around the upbringing of students emphasizes getting good grades as apposed to getting every detail and aspect mastered. School priorities should be reevaluated and changed for future students

    Read More

  • The Causes and Effects of Pressure on Students to Get Good Grades

    1375 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ke school something that the students can look back on and think that it was a meaningful time where they learned a lot about life instead of a time where they thought they would have a break down because they got a low score on a test. School should be a time to make mistakes in a safe environment that they can learn from, not a place that they are petrified to make a mistake for fear of retribution on their grade cards. Its time to change the school system to save future students from becoming stress crazed and to let them know that there is more to this world than a grade card and in the long run it is a very small fraction of life.

    Read More

  • The Roots of Education are Bitter, but the Fruits are Sweet

    428 Words  | 1 Pages

    Having explained the reason most children have become disheartened at the thought of school, I now turn my attention to the students who do realize school’s educational value. These are the students that will continue to prosper throughout their lives because they realize the extreme importance of education. There is a secret, yet not so secret, motivation behind their determination to exceed standards and expectations in school. The secret they withhold is their overwhelming desire to be successful in the future.

    Read More

More about Denise Clark Pope's 'The Predicament Of Doing School'

Open Document