DN Opinion. No wonder my students are skoltrötta

Our school system is suffering from a hard error: it is built for assessment, not for learning. This is the fundamental reason that our children are skoltrötta already when they are 8-9 years old. We need to think about and stop doing everything with the assessment objectives. We need to remove the grades.

and very tired. Stressed out, she knows that it is very important for her to get high grades in school – her entire future is in the balance. Very tired, she fought hard for years to try and get the high grades that are so important. She has a simple question to me: ”What should I do to get a high score?”

this is a desired situation for me as a teacher.

I have a motivated student like yourself are searching for guidance. I'll explain to my student what she needs to do, she should understand, follow my instructions, submit in time and I'll do a formative assessment with feedback on what she needs to improve and hopefully give her a good score on the task.

aside from the two things that chafe a bit.

The first thing that will rub is the stress. The will of the that the same situation is repeated time and time again, week after week, year after year. When I meet my students at the high school, they have already been inside of this stress for years. All the time they have to perform, show what they go for, assessed and assessed again.

It makes almost physically hurts me when I think that virtually all the students I have are skoltrötta. Is this a part of growing up? To understand that school is boring and bothersome, but necessary? Is it something positive? The training for those young people encounter setbacks? They must have a little grit, or how?

But why? They should jump of eagerness to learn more!

Children are curious, they know every single parent. Children want to know everything! But we have taken out of them properly when they have been 8-9 years old. My students are 16-19 years old and so tired at school the only thing that can keep them up is the idea of not having a score.

But so good!!! Luckily we have the grades then.

and it is simple. The grades are at the root of the evil. Our school system is structured that students should be assessed. They should not learn things – they'll show what they can. Everything we do as teachers is to put together tasks for the students to be able to assess them. And then we judge them, score and moves on. The students follow the instructions, obey.

When you are allowed to seek knowledge itself, on its own terms, it is fun. When you end up in a system where you have to do in a certain way – then it becomes boring, soul-destroying boring. You understand what to do, you follow the instructions, you obey. And get so tired that you get anxiety.

not judging. On the curiosity and willingness, not compulsion. Remove the grades. I want to have a girl in front of me who are eagerly curious, not stressed and tired.