Sorting-mechanics and why I do not believe in grades

 (If any of my students reads this: as an academic I do not believe in grades. As an employed lecturer I however always follow the directions of the university, and hence I will grade your paper)

A week ago a government enquiry was presented about the teachers education. I have not had the time to read it yet, but from what I’ve heard it contains several suggestions that I as an educator is quite positive to at least try. What however have become quite discussed in the media is that future teacher students have to have atleast the grade C in Swedish on a A-F scale. This is a discussion which I am quite critical of from two perspectives.

In a more general social discursive mode I am critical of it since it enhances the idea of teacher students as being slackers. I have been involved in teachers education since 2018 and have met around 700-900 future teachers. What often strikes me time and again is that they are very engaged in their studies. In all my years as an educator I have only met around three students that can not read or write at a sufficient level. They are also often quite interested in becoming good teachers, but perhaps a bit to uninterested in their subjects. Thereby the link between didactics and the subject need to be more prominent, but this is rather a question of organisation rather than the quality of the students. All in all, I would say that the de-nigration of teacher students is a social discussion that does not reflect reality.

I have basically as much respect for grades as I have
for admission based on roulettes 


However, this seems to be a perspective in the enquiry which proposes higher grades in order to be able to apply. In this setting I can’t help but to wonder why a lack of interest in Swedish 16th century literature as a 17 year old would disqualify someone from becoming a history teacher a decade later. Once again grades are perceived as a way to measure personality rather than social circumstances in one’s teens. Perhaps it is the zeitgeist of the time, but I really hope that the enquiry all in all have stronger reflections on what ought to be done to get the best teachers possible.

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