A world without exams

It’s that time of the year again, particularly for the Year 12s, where exams are coming up and everyone is anxious. Some are excited, and most are petrified.

I'm sure many teachers are doing what they can to reassure their students. But they are probably also secretly hoping their students do well, so they can point to their grades as proof that they did a good job. It’s validation.

I’m the same if I'm honest. As much as I keep telling my students that marks don't matter, it’s still easier to just rely on marks as a badge of honour, because it’s a somewhat universal currency for most students and parents understand.

And frankly, it gets tiring explaining to parents that marks are often arbitrary and don’t guarantee success in life.

That just because you're in a high-flying, high-paying corporate job doesn't mean you're set for life. If the company isn't doing well, then they'll have to let some people go, regardless of how well those people are performing. The only difference between that and being an entrepreneur is that you're not consciously thinking about it all the time. But that's not true security. It's just imagined.

And just because a child scores well in high school or university doesn't mean they're set for life. It means so little. Honestly. Take this from someone who completed their degree in 2 years. I've never looked at an applicant’s grades when I interview them for a position. It's all vanity.

So as a teacher, what should I be teaching my students?

If, for example, I knew that my students would have to live on a deserted island one day, should I: