Don't Worry about Grades

For two and a half years of my college career, I was a Physics major. I loved physics, but I was one of few women in the major and oftentimes the only woman in the class. The atmosphere was incredibly competitive and teacher-centered. I was somewhat shy back then and I found it very easy to hide in many of these classes. My junior year I took Intro to Women's Studies because it fulfilled a general education requirement. What I found changed the course of my life. My professor, Carrie, made everyone feel welcome. It was impossible to hide in her class; she simply would not allow it. She wanted to know about us as people and about our experiences. Many of our papers were written in the first person, about our own lives. This was quite a switch from the impersonal physics department.

What stands out the most in my mind was Carrie's discussion of grades on the first day of class. She said that she didnt want us to worry about our grades. She said she understood that we, unfortunately, do have to worry about our grades since scholarships, good-standing, graduate school were all dependant on them. But Carrie said that she simply wanted us to come to class prepared to discuss the material, to read the assignments and to really think about the issues that were raised. If we did this, our grades would be good. This was very unsettling to many students who were used to the conventional school setting where grades were of the utmost importance; it made me smile. I had never responded well to the traditional grading system, I would study what interested me and not care about the grade I received.

Carrie helped me to come out of my shell. Since I couldn't hide in the back of the class, I was forced to speak up and eventually I felt more comfortable doing so. She also helped me to improve my writing, an area that I had always felt I was weak in. As the semester came to an end I had learned so much more than I had in any other class, I had even created a website. I promptly switched my major to Women's Studies and took every class that Carrie taught. On graduation our department gathered to celebrate. Carrie called out the names of all the graduates and after my name she told everyone that I was an excellent writer! I will never forget Carrie; I certainly would not be where I am today if not for her. She challenged me to speak up; she valued my experiences and opinions and taught me to value them as well. But most importantly, she encouraged us all to learn for the sake of learning, not for some arbitrary grade.

-Marianne Baldwin