These days it seems like students check their grades up to two or three times A DAY. It used to be checking it maybe once or twice a week. If you think back to when the parents of the students were in school, they didn’t get this so called “privilege.” They had to wait until the marking period to know what their grades were.

Students being able to see their grades so often is both a blessing and a curse. It feels like it just adds so much pressure, especially when it’s the parents checking the grades. It almost forces you to do your school work and actually do well on tests. But what if you’re trying your best and it’s just not going well for you?

There’s always that student who stresses over having a B in a class saying that they’re doing so bad. Just putting it out there right now: a B is NOT a bad grade at all whatsoever. A bad grade is a D or an E. Also, having a GPA lower than a 3.5 is okay, just don’t get to the point where it’s a 2.2. However, I’m not saying it’s okay to just blow off homework or to not study for a test. You should absolutely be trying your best but it’s okay to have an off day or even an off couple days. You’re not perfect. No one is, and no one expects you to be.

Grades are not the world’s most important thing. Sometimes there are just things that take priority. If you’re sick, you need to give yourself time to get better, so that homework you have can be put on hold. If a family member passes, you need time to heal. If you happen to end up in the hospital, worry more about what’s going on with you rather than what’s going on in that class. If it’s that important to you, talk to your teachers about the situation and more than likely they will accommodate it. The point is, there are times where you need to put yourself before your grades.

However, if you know you’re going to be gone for an extended amount of time there should be no reason that you shouldn’t be getting your homework done. Again, talk to your teachers about it and they’ll hopefully give you the work you miss so that you’re still at the same pace as everyone else.

Please remember that your grades shouldn’t be the priority over everything else. Your mental and physical health should be just as if not more important. If you’re having a difficult time, in any sense, talk to someone counselor, parent, teacher, or friend. People are going to be there for you throughout your life; don’t forget that.