In her essay, Sharlyn Barrett recalls how the pursuit of perfection—whether on a scale or on a report card—stripped joy from both learning and life, and how messages about perfection left her exhausted, insecure, and ready to give up. Now a college student, Sharlyn challenges the belief that numbers define worth and calls for an education built on balance, growth, and self-acceptance.

In this letter, Subhiksha Sreeram breaks up with grades, recalling how letters once ruled her worth and turned learning into a numbers game. She shares how chasing A’s left her anxious, perfectionistic, and focused more on points than real understanding. Now she’s ready for something better: curiosity, feedback, and growth—because no single letter should define a student’s story.

This spring, Grow Beyond Grades partnered with two visionary organizations—Human Restoration Project and gotLearning—to host the first-ever Growth, Not Grades student writing contest for high school and college students. We’re thrilled to introduce you to our winners—and the awards their work inspired!

Students, simply put, don’t care about school. In their eyes, it’s a place to go, do what they’re told, and memorize as much as they can, then go home and finish their homework before doing something that actually interests them.

So the question is: How do we, people who are interested in making education better for students, help traditional schools adopt some of the things that made my education so far fantastic?