As the semester is closing to an end and grades are slowly being cemented, students enter the wintry season with not just requests for holiday gifts and candy canes, but a plea for a second chance and an opportunity for improvement.

The classroom equivalent of hope is two-worded: EXTRA CREDIT.

It gives the possibility to raise one’s grade to make up for failings, or perhaps unfortunate circumstances, without the fear of losing more points. It gives a chance to further study a subject and learn more to students who are invested and interested. And it’s also an opportunity for creativity and originality, as most extra credit assignments are more flexible and out-of-the-box than regular assignments.

In high school, a single class period is packed with information, whether it’s in the form of lessons, notes, or worksheets. Missing even a single day can be detrimental to a student’s understanding of the class, the damage increasing exponentially with additional days. Emergencies can never be foreseen or predicted, so an unlucky student may be doomed to a bad grade if there’s not an alternative solution.

Simply having extra credit assignments available creates a safer academic atmosphere. A bad grade can be a source of constant worry and concern, but the availability of a safety boost provides reassurance. This results in an increased concentration of actual learning and education, and a decreased focus of a materialistic grade. Because the difference between letter grades are so significant to college applications, students may become obsessed with their As, Bs, Cs. Though the original purpose of education is to simply provide a student with knowledge, the emphasis on grades detracts students from that original purpose. Instead, the classroom becomes a system to be manipulated, a place where the end result of a “good” grade justifies any means.

Some argue, however, that extra credit does not properly prepare students for the future. They say that extra credit is an unrealistic safety net that will not be available in college nor the workplace. Though some say that extra credit makes students lazy, the opposite cannot be more true. For truly lazy and idle students, they would not even attempt extra credit assignments, as it is extra work and effort after all. Students who sincerely care about their grade and education are the ones who make the time to complete extra credit assignments. Additionally, extra credit is not an unrealistic expectation of the future, it is a learning step and a simple warning to work harder next time.

Extra credit assignments, just like lectures, notes, and homework, are necessary to the classroom. While lectures and notes teach a student and homework implements further applications of the knowledge, extra credit assignments are opportunities for redemption at past mistakes and unfortunate situations.