Michelangelo is often quoted as having said that inside every block of stone or marble dwells a beautiful statue; one need only remove the excess material to reveal the work of art within.
Imagine if we were to apply this concept to the education system. It would be pointless to compare one child to another. Instead, all our energy would be focused on chipping away at the stone, getting rid of whatever is in the way of each child’s potential skills, mastery and self-expression.
Every child thus becomes an A-grade student. After all, the ABCDEF system of grading is a game that’s been invented by the education system, so we might as well choose to invent something that brightens the lives of our children = A-grade.
The practice of giving an A to every student allows the teacher to focus on producing a great outcome – to focus on what’s fully possible, the things that make them great, and their full potential – and to not compare one against the other in the process.
And what if we now give an A to all people, in all of our relationships. The free granting of an A to everyone takes them off the success/failure ladder, removes them from the pleased/disappointed list, and spirits you away from narrow standards of measurement and judgement into a world of human potential and possibility.
Rock on!
