“GRADES AS A MEASUREMENT OF AN INDIVIDUAL’S INTELLIGENCE”

Do you believe that your grades define your intelligence? Do you believe that grades are the
measurement of the intelligence and brilliance of an individual? Albert Einstein once said that if
you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. It
is not an enough evidence to say that grades did not measure an individual’s intelligence, but
does it matter? The way we evaluate ones skills and abilities is like judging a fish by its climbing
ability even we know that fish have no ability to climb a tree.

Grades cannot measure ones intelligence and abilities, but it does matter. Grades always matter
for it is a manifestation of your attitude toward academic performances and intellect. Grades
measure your performance inside the campus while intelligence measures your performance in
life. In school, you are given the materials before you got tested. But in life, you are given the
test first and the lesson afterward. Graded exams or quizzes do not test your intelligence,
however, it shows our work principles and ethics and our determination to pass the subjects. It
tests our ability to memorize the materials given to us. But it doesn’t mean that we’ve learned
from the materials.

There are so many reasons why we can’t say that our grades don’t define us or our abilities and
intelligence. The mental and the emotional state of a person is one of the factors that affect the
learning of an individual. No matter how you understand the materials when it is difficult for
you to focus on, your brain will not function well. Good grades are important but it is not so
important that you should let yourself to collapse because of so much stress. Your intelligence
is just one of those countless variables that will affect your grades in school. Your
comprehension and intellect cannot be measured by the amount of your excellent grades, by
the number of your certificates and the degrees you are holding. It will not define your future.
Your grades on your final exam will not define your way of thinking because your capacity of
thinking may change by training and time.

There are different kinds of intelligence according to the Multiple Intelligence of Howard
Gardner. You may not be so good at mathematics but you may be good on public speaking. You
may not be a sport enthusiast but you can perform singing very well. You may not be a dancer
but you may be good in writing. You just have to find your passion so you can find your
strengths rather than finding your weakness. Every person has their own kinds of brilliance and
intelligence. Your grades don’t define you. Those numbers written on your transcripts did not
label the knowledge inside your mind. You are more than that. Grades are just a measurement
of your determination but it doesn’t mean that your grades measure your intelligence. If you
fail on your class, maybe you are not applying what you have learned and you are not reaching
your full potential. No one can define your overall intelligence as a person. Intelligence doesn’t
dictate ones grades just as grades don’t dictate an individual’s intelligence.

The Incremental Theory of Intelligence suggests that intelligence can actually be developed and
improved. By engaging in exercises and challenges, your mind will improve and can be boosted
over time. Some says that the intelligence of a person is static and unchanging. However, many
experts believe that intelligence can change. Every day in our lives, we learned something that
can add up to our knowledge and learning and may help to the improvement of our skills. So,
we should not stop learning because life did not stop teaching.