When Did 28/30 Become a Failure?

General
,
1

I scored 28/30 marks in an exam.

Instead of being acknowledged for the effort and performance, I was called out in front of the class. I wasn’t alone, students who scored 29, 28, and 27 were also singled out and made to feel as though we had fallen short.

This raises an important question: when did education become so focused on the missing marks that we forget to recognize the marks that were earned?

Teachers play a significant role in shaping a student’s confidence. While high expectations can motivate students, excessive criticism over a difference of one or two marks can have the opposite effect. It can create self-doubt, anxiety, and the feeling that no matter how hard you work, it will never be enough.
For a moment, I felt exactly that.
But after reflecting on the situation, I realized something important, my worth is not defined by two lost marks.
I am more than a score on an exam paper.

Never let your self-worth depend on someone else’s validation.

Not your teachers. Not your classmates. Not anyone.

If you’ve worked hard, learned, improved, and you’re satisfied with your progress, that’s what matters.

Your marks are a result. Your worth is not.

Did you ever encounter a similar experience? Have you ever been made to feel like a failure, even when you knew you had done well?

2

I have personally not encountered such a thing but one of my schoolmates had to face this.He scored 95% in his prelims in 12th standard which itself is a very big thing.But his mother thought these are less marks and she scolded him badly, snatched his mobile phone and asked him to break contact with all friends and study.Unfortunately he became depressed and was diagnosed with clinical depression. He had to take 3 years drop after dealing with pressure.

3

A powerful reminder that marks measure performance on a test, not a person’s potential or worth. Sometimes we focus so much on what was lost that we forget to appreciate what was achieved.