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Michael Babcock Dr. Jan Rieman English 1101 January 15, 2013 Essay Response: Kohns Degrading I found myself doing this assignment late at night in my room. This probably hindered my reading experience and made it harder to focus because I was tired. Since I read Kohns essay on my computer, I didnt underline or annotate the text. I merely tried to absorb the ideas by carefully reading through it. I realized that many times I simply read or complete an assignment for the grade points and not for the sake of learning. I related well with Kohns third point that grading encourages students to find the easiest way to get through and can distract from actual learning. I ended up thinking ahead or coming up with concerns or counterpoints, which the author nearly always addresses later. Particularly, I realized that implementation is the greatest obstacle to a learning environment without grades in a world dependant on them for evaluation. As I read on through Kohns essay, it surprised me how many of his points I had seen or lived examples of in just the past fall semester. I definitely agree with his sixth point that grades waste a lot of time that could be better used for learning. I had firsthand experience of this fact as a teachers assistant for the introduction to engineering class here at UNCC. While having so many assignments and grades did provide me with a job, it felt like there would have been a better way to use me than merely as a grunt to mark papers. I also think the students lost sight of the interesting and important aspects of their professional development beneath the torrent of occasionally meaningless assignments. In addition, I have noticed how grades can affect how

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willing I am to collaborate or help other students with assignments. I have thought that if I help them it will cheapen the effort I have put in or that they should go earn their grades by themselves. I have also witnessed students turn to cheating or perhaps other legal shortcuts just to attain a grade. Im interested to hear the opinions of some of the faculty here at UNCC on this topic. I think there should be continual discussion on how to improve the learning experience and increase the value of the education students come here for. Im curious where Dr. Rieman falls on this issue and how that has affected the way she teaches this class. The quote from Kohns work I found most interesting was but teachers who can give a child a better reason for studying dont need grades. I wholeheartedly agree, and I think we should focus on discussing solutions and ways to implement a better system because it will be difficult to change the way people think or what they expect schools to be like. I also want to explore the possibility of eventually becoming a teacher that could improve the learning experience for students. I think we were assigned this reading early in the semester to help shape our expectations of this class and help us realize its not all about the mighty GPA. If we can get past working for a number, this class will probably have a greater impact on us as writers and thinkers. This essay helped me think about an issue I hadnt truly considered, and opened my eyes to a very real issue in the education system.