Made up of rectangular boxes aligned on rectangular sheets of paper, the hallmark of the report card is the list of grades. Numbers or letters are intended to represent the achievement of a young person, who too often sits at a rectangular desk in a rectangular room, and provides evidence of learning by making pencil scrapings upon rectangular pieces of paper. Though much of the daily work of the teacher is focused on finding ways to assess learning and to justify grades, the author contends that these marks are commonly an end point to learning, rather than a directional tool that might suggest individualized learning goals and apt teaching strategies. Whether using letters or numbers to assign grades, the author thinks that the very measurement of something as abstract as "learning" is worth a rethink. Learning should be a lifelong human experience, not a snapshot-in-time statistical experience. The most memorable moments of learning are those when learners break free from the rectangles, where it becomes impossible for any variable to truly capture an experience or achievement.