What is the worth of an ‘A’? 优等真的那么重要 ?

It is the time of the year again. It is the time for our kids to go to the ‘battlefields’ – the examination halls, to sit for various major exams which they were told, will alter their lives forever.

In those days, I remembered, the fight was not so intense. Back then, our goal was simply to pass the exam with modest results. Enough to further our studies, and the best student in a particular school or a particular state could only manage one or two distinctions at best. The rest of us will make do with a mere credit or pass.

But things were so different now. Now, every kid would want to have a string of A’s or in some case, their parents wanted it more than the students themselves. Most parents are willing to go all out to get these A’s as if it was a matter of life and death for them.

What is the result of this? Tuition centers mushrooming everywhere, students being stressed out and reports of suicide among students increasing. A question that begs for an answer is- is all these worthwhile? What is an A compared to our kids physical health, state of mind and the lost of childhood?

I have read in the papers that some students killed themselves in shame for failing to obtain the desired result. I have seen a relative falling into a state of depression and isolated himself due to constant pressure from his parents to excel beyond his capabilities.

As a parent myself, amidst criticism from relatives, I am more and more incline to let my kids study at their own pace so that they can still find a joy in their childhood which had became a very rare privilege and at the same time being free from this maddening race to collect a string of A’s which I believed will be compromised with their general well being.