Do we want depressed young students or children being children?
Our Centre-Right Alliance government has an idea about how we can make our schools better by authority and grades from early stages. Why do so many students ending school without the knowledge they should have? Is it because of sloppy teachers, a lack of grades in primary school or a let-go mentality in school both by teachers and students? Or is it because of big classes with too many students in need of help and only one stressed teacher? We can only speculate about the causes. After what the government thought was a sloppy attitude against learning during several years, they want more strictness and a whip. Grades in primary school seems to be the only solution for this problem whatever causing it, according to the Center-Right Alliance government.
Grades for primary school pupils could be devastating. You could easily break a little child with grades and no one is better off branded as a FAIL. If we tell young children about their mistakes in a wrong way they will certainly get depressed. Do we not have enough depressed children in our society as it is? It will be comparison and maybe even bullying between children, children will be panic-stroked and parents will maybe rush their children because of the mad scramble for higher grades. This case will certainly not help small children learn what they are supposed to learn, and is that not what we want the children to do - learn?
Secondly, children need to be children - not "study machines". If our children are going to be haunted for better grades that early it could end up with children lacking hobbies and spare time for playing with other children. Children have to play outdoors and feel free. Children are not supposed to be "study machines", chained to a desk all day long and nothing will be better if we force them to study only instead of having fun with each other. Do we not want our children to have a happy childhood? They will be able to feel stressed over grades later on anyway. School is a place of horror for many children as it is, without us increasing the group feeling that way by grading in primary school.
But is it not better to find out difficulties as early as possible? Yes, of course it is - the sooner, the better because it is easier to help children before they are getting too far behind the schedule. But if we point out those difficulties in such early age as primary school and by such a devastating method, we could break the child instead of helping him or her. We do not want to kill their lust, joy and curiosity, are we? We must find a way of helping through provide working methods both to find out their problems and to help them learn, which also must work for all students instead of grading in an early age. Let all children feel success and not failure. If we make the children feel good about what they perform they will be able to continue learning, if they feel as loosers they will become tired of school with devastating consequences for their future. I know this for sure - I have a son who was totally broken by high pressure in third class! He still have problems five years later. Do not create more children as Tobias. It is totally enough as it is.
For the sake of our children we should find other ways of supporting them to learn instead of breaking them by grading in an early age. Children must have a chance of being children, to play and enjoy school instead of being terrified of it. To support children's natural lust for learning and curiosity instead of whipping them to knowledge is not to be sloppy and careless. It is to be human and to dare being a sensitive and caring adult.
Ann-Britt’s comments
SvaraRaderaI think you have written a very good argumentative text about grades. First you give the reader an overall picture of the situation. Now the reader knows the background and what the debate is all about.
In your second paragraph you argue that grades could be devastating for young children, it can break them and make them depressed. You make it very clear to the reader what you think. Then you move on to the fact that our children are not just “study machines”, and the importance of being able to play and have a good childhood. In your fourth paragraph you have your counterargument; “is it not better to find out difficulties as early as possible?” This you refute well, you give account for different solutions to the problem.
You follow the rules for how an argumentative text is supposed to look like, the paragraphs are coherent and you use linking words. Very well done, Susanne!
However, there are always room for a little bit of improvement. The actual layout of the text and the tone is good. There are a few sentences though, that sound a little bit strange to me.
First paragraph: line 3 “Is it because of sloppy teachers…” Maybe the word sloppy is a little bit too causal. Line 4 “Or is it because of big classes…” this sentence could be rephrased, it is easy to misunderstand. Paragraph 4: line 5 “are we”, should be do we. The next sentence is a bit hard to follow I think, maybe you should consider revising it (“We must find a way of helping…”).
Line 11 “He still have” should be “He still has”.
The word ”children” is used quite a bit, and of course it would be since the text is about children, but in some places you might be able to use student or pupil instead.
Anyway, these are just small details. Overall you have managed to create an excellent text.