I Give It a "PH"

I read a discussion I would like to relate because I have had similar thoughts.  I've  wanted to know why do we give the grade of  "F" and not the grade of  "E"?  I have heard that "F" stands for "fail";  then for what do "A," "B," "C," and "D," stand?  If you have an "A," "B," "C," and "D," why isn't a failing grade "E"?  Why did the letter E get skipped over?  

A writer, in comments made on another blog, made a good point.  He wrote:  

"It bothers me.  It has always bothered me.  I think, I think it will always bother me.  I mean, a lot, you know?  Why did E get skipped over?  I think about that so much, don't you?  I mean, couldn't the makers of A B C and D have come up with something really creative and dark for E to stand for?  I think it's sheer laziness to skip over E and use F just because "fail" was so easy to think up.  I think it's time we rose up and corrected this travesty.  I propose a global "E stands for ..." contest.  I think F has had way to much negative energy poured over it for waaaaaay too long.  We need to STOP the F hate language.  I think F probably has a really negative self image because of all the bad energy it has had to live with.  It's like an innocent bystander that was just standing next to E in a drive by hate crime.  Just because it's right next to E it gets all of E's excrement.  Hey!  That's it!  That's it!  We can redeem F.  We can make E stand for 'excremental' (which is far more visual  than 'fail' could ever describe).  [Parents would say,] 'Bobby, your final exam got an excremental!  You're grounded!'  E is visceral.  E is the new F.  F's of the world unite!"

One comment I read said that "E" stood for excellent.  But does that make sense?  Is it proper that right between "D, almost failing" and "F, failing"  is "E, excellent"?  I guess it does make sense in this world that often encourages mediocrity.  "Suzie, you didn't fail and you didn't almost fail.  In fact, you're barely adequate.  Excellent!  Thanks for not setting the bar too high for the rest of us.  Can you work a fry machine?"

  

The "E" for excellent people make this argument:  

"A=Awesome
B=Better than average
C=Couldn't you study just a little more and get a B?
D=DUDE! [or Dud]
E=Excellent

F=Failure'"

 Every letter stands for an actual word. 

With the present system, you have to remember things like, C stands for Average, when you're really thinking, "How come A doesn't stand for Average?" 

Okay, since E already got taken to stand for Excellent, maybe we ought to like, go with the flow, you know?
Here is another perspective:  

"We put the whole thing on its head, just to shake things up, you know?
E stands for Excellent
D stands for Duuuude! (you're supposed to say it with lots of admiration in your eyes)
C stands for Common
B stands for Blond
A stands for Airhead"

When I was in the 1st grade they didn't give us A's, B's, C's, D's, or F's.  They gave us S's and U's.  Talk about confusing the system.  The only time you got an "A" was when you were absent.  Does that make sense?  I think S meant satisfactory and U meant unsatisfactory.  (In Sunday School S meant saved and U meant unsaved.  P meant prospect.  As in, "We have to turn these U's into P's so we can get more S's.")

When I was in seminary, I had a professor who told us he thought all courses in seminary ought to be "P" or "F", pass or fail.  I told him I agreed with him.  I think he gave me a "B" in that course.  I guess "B" stood for "bad idea."  

Oh well.