Matthew Dharmawan

Mrs. Storer

English 3H American Literature

25 December 2019

The Smartness Measurement

What is the purpose of school? The obvious, answer is, of course, to learn. However,

when hitting the years of high school every flower of curiosity is crushed by the system itself

because there are many facts, concepts, and dates that need to be memorized. To test this skill of

memorization, often there is an exam at the end of each unit that assesses how much one has

learned. It is apparent that education places a great importance on test scores. At some point, it

seems like tests scores determine one’s future. Instead of creating lifelong, masterful students,

exams wither any flower of curiosity, placing an importance on memorization instead of

mastery. The idea of standardized assessment of learning is ineffective because it focuses on

retention rather than intuition causes students to begin to find the subject matter disgusting,

throwing it way in the trash can that fills up each year. The ways of testing knowledge should

measure creativity, critical thinking, resilience, and intuition.

From my personal experience in education, I see people give up on certain subjects,

saying they are not smart enough. Mathematics and sciences are examples believed to be the

“arduous” subjects. Andrew was a student who was very interested in mathematics. That year, he

decides to take calculus at college. When the announcement for an exam is said in class, he and

many other students study all night for a test, memorizing all the rules for differentiation in

Calculus.
 “I expect you to know all of the differentiation formulas for next week’s test,” the

professor states.

Andrew, like many other students, studies very hard on this exam, making flashcards to

help him remember the formulas. Students often spend most of their time going through many

problems not knowing why these formulas even exist. They see a formula and they plainly

memorize it. The exam comes around, and Andrew sees he received an 80%. What happens to

the 20% that was missed? Who cares? The class continues to move on with Andrew not knowing

this 20%. In math, topics build on each other. Maybe the next topic is integration. If the student

doesn’t understand derivatives, what makes them know integrals? I know the answer: more

memorization! This never-ending cycle continues on and on, until Andrew receives his first

failing grade: 64%.

Hours of wasted time cramming useless information for an exam whose content will be

forgotten the next day. Cutting off Andrew’s connection with their passion by making the subject

matter an arduous task to complete.

Examinations based on memorization is such a waste of potential. It causes students to

cause the spark to never ignite, making them demotivated. It’s like making a building: without a

strong foundation, the building will topple, causing everything to be destroyed. This feedback

loop of testing continually deteriorates avid, curious students to soulless, workers cramming

information that leaves as soon as the examination is finished. Learning should encourage

students to use what they learn and apply it to other ideas. This is what will produce innovators

and critical thinkers.