Subjectivity in School and How to Deal With It
Work on these skills for success in school and beyond.
Have you ever felt like you deserve better grades? Was your first reaction to blame the teacher for this “unfairness”? Effectively, this is preparing you for your life and career. Only a few students crack the code and understand what they’ve been doing wrong the whole time.
Influencing people can sometimes be your only chance to get what you want. It may sound hypocritical, but you need to adapt to your surroundings. It’s not pretending to be someone you aren’t, it’s switching between modi. You’d naturally behave differently at work than in a pub with your pals (at least, you should). That’s also true for school students. Behaving like it was Friday night while in the classroom will shape the opinion teachers have of you forever.
But be warned: being quiet and unremarkable is just as bad as standing out negatively. You will stay unnoticed if you don’t make an effort to present yourself and your work in a positive way.
Check Your Expectations: People are Subjective
If you’re like me, you have compared your grades more often than not to other students, which, in most cases, leads to disbelief and the feeling of having been treated unfairly. “How come a**-kissers like Jonathan are always getting better oral marks even though I participate in class just as often as he does?” You might not have used that tone, but you can’t tell me there hasn’t been a similar situation in your life.
The thing is, we’re all humans, and we all have our own sense of individuality. Our consciousness is subjective; we judge and decide differently. And most of our decisions are made within seconds. See why first impressions are important? Leaving a good impression will help you achieve more than hard work alone.
But how is this useful to know for students? Well, it’s not only the first impression that is important but the impression that others have of you in general!
So, what does that imply?
That you should deliberately make an effort to be perceived positively. Therefore, you have to take into consideration how your typical behavior presents yourself to others. But how we switch and adapt our behavior will not be the same for every situation, and that’s okay.
Personally, I don’t want to be the smart aleck who’s analyzing every aspect of life in my free time. But that’s probably what I do in school. To be successful in different social circles (job, class, sports club, friends, skate community, etc.) it’s necessary to adapt to each surrounding. Switching between these “modi” is important. Talking very eloquently and bragging about your knowledge is not typically how you make friends. But in school, including your broad knowledge to discussions will get you the best marks. In this case, it is not perceived as bragging, so don’t worry.
What students can do
You can do something to leave a better impression on your teachers. Ultimately, this will increase your chances to get better marks because you will have the opportunity to engage with the class more proactively. Even if your teacher is tracking the quantity of your participation, the quality of those interactions is subjective and can weigh more. This is the difference between a disinterested reply from a distracted student being called on vs. an actively engaged student who raises his/her hand in class.
Teachers are thankful for every comment, question, and answer, regardless of how obvious the answer might be. If you’re helping your teacher to continue with the lesson, your teacher will remember you. Be the one to break the silence after your teacher has posed a question. Ask comprehension questions (preferably honest ones) because other students are likely thinking the same thing but are just unwilling to speak up.
Basic manners also go a long way. Don’t forget to say “thank you” when your teacher has explained something to you in person, say goodbye when the lesson is over, and other typical formalities. It’s a shame I even have to mention this because being nice and respectful should be normal. But you’d be surprised how often teachers have to deal with disrespectful and ungrateful students, if you haven’t noticed it in class already.
Additionally, avoid coming off as bored or uninterested when you say something. This can have a bigger impact on your mark than you think! This could include being proactive to help your teacher set up the television or beamer if they ask for a volunteer. You have a lot of options, here.
Some students might think you’re a brownnoser, but ultimately it’s up to you to strike a balance that feels appropriate for you.
Final Thoughts: Applying this to “the real world”
The bottom line here is that the impression others have of you can be the difference between just getting any job or getting that amazing job and eventually being promoted.
Take this as an example. Josh is an employee at a company. He’s always nice to people, he gets an incredible amount of work done and he’s never complaining. What a dream to have an employee like him. But Josh is likely to be taken advantage of. He’s either not aware of how valuable he is or he simply lacks the confidence to say no to.
Another employee, Felix, doesn’t get half as much done. But he’s soon getting promoted and paid more than Josh could ever dream of. How is that? Well, Felix might not get a lot of tasks done, but he’s confidently running the big projects, focusing on the most important tasks, and he knows how to distinguish himself. Felix has more free time than Josh and he gets the most out of it. He takes care of his family, maintains his mental health with outside activities, and he’s continuously self-improving.
Josh could maybe have similar skills, but — unlike him — Felix is showing them. Everyone at work knows that Felix is a great father and story-teller. That’s why the boss thinks he is more valuable than Josh. Once you’re showing your work, the streak begins. One accomplishment follows the other and you will gradually gain more and more recognition for your hard work.
Focussing only on results wouldn’t get me there. Your work is only as valuable as you can present it to be. Luckily, I’ve understood it early enough to change my course. And you can, too!
