I deserved to fail my sophomore year history class. Not only did I rarely take notes during lectures or even read the chapters that were assigned, I barely passed a test with a grade higher than a “C.” My study hours were usually spent on YouTube, the textbook used as a makeshift table for my bag of Doritos. I couldn’t tell you the difference between the Treaty of Tordesillas and the Turtles Protection Act. While my fellow students painstakingly memorized dates and tediously reviewed chapter notes, I killed time by playing online Tetris. And yet by the end of the semester our grades were identical, mine even higher than some of my hardworking peers. I still pulled off an “A” in the class. I didn’t pass the class because of my extensive knowledge of European history or my diligent study habits. I passed because I knew how to bs.

It would be easy for me to feel proud of the results of my lackluster performance, or convince myself that I deserved the grade I got. In fact, I rarely even make the effort to be intellectually challenged in class because I know if I just do the work then I will receive a decent grade. But what about the people who actually think about the things they learn in class and go the extra mile to mentally challenge themselves? What about the people who actually consider their work instead of mindlessly completing it?

You do not need to have a genius degree in order to maintain a 4.0 grade average. All you really need is good time management skills and diligence. If you complete all your projects and assignments on time and apply a decent amount of effort to your work, you will not fail. And while this routine can become stressful, no super human brain power is exerted in the process. In fact, many people who I consider to be quite dim-witted boast of perfect grade-score averages. I constantly find myself pondering how these people could have achieved such perfect transcripts when I compare them to the smart people I know whose report cards are average. The only explanation of their success is their great understanding of how the system works.

The scoring system that Seattle Public Schools implements can only accommodate the majority of students it processes. It fails to accommodate the students who don’t test well and have a hard time putting themselves out there in order to “participate.” The students who know how to work to the advantage of the grading system will receive an attractive looking transcript, while the students who lack these qualities may be not as lucky. This does not mean these people lack the same level of intelligence as the majority, only that they have different learning styles.

Because there is no way to grade how smart each student is, the system can only take into account the evidence. It becomes possible for a student to pass a class without having to invest much mental power into the work, because the evidence is easy to fake. It’s easy to write an essay on the effects of slavery in America without doing much research because we know that the teacher is looking for a description on how it has shaped modern society. It’s easy to do well in high school without working your hardest.

But while putting little effort into school work may be easier now, it will not be beneficial in the long run. Even though I earned a good grade, I didn’t necessarily succeed in my history class. Because I spent the whole period goofing off on game sites and never devoted any time to studying, I wasn’t able to take the AP test that was offered along with the class because I didn’t know any of the material. I could have gotten a college credit out of the way, or more importantly learned something new. I missed the chance to fortify my knowledge, choosing instead to deplete. I wasted my own time by cheating a system that I could have benefitted from. It may be easier to cop a good grade by only achieving the minimum, but it’s worth it to do a thorough job and earn the grade that is actually deserved.