By Elizabeth Hung
Staff Writer
Former pandemic stress transfers to the new school year, adding pressure to an already weary student body. As we continue to strive for academic excellence, teachers must show compassion towards the student body while we combat learning loss, loss of motivation and poor mental health.
In a 2018 survey of students between the ages of 13 to 17, Pew Research Center discovered 61% of U.S. teens feel extreme pressure to achieve good grades, and 70% view anxiety and depression as major problems. This is no exception for TCHS students since our school places high emphasis on academic achievement.
The pressure of earning good grades, winning competitions and receiving prestigious college acceptances are a few contributors to stress and anxiety within our student body. The pressure to excel and failure to obtain high marks result in students becoming overly self-critical. Additionally, burnout and overall exhaustion are common, especially when finals and AP season roll around.
Driven by competitive peers, it is tempting to take several AP and honor classes despite the overwhelming coursework that comes with it. Instead of placing such a high emphasis on higher level classes, teachers should work together with students to find the next class that best fits them. Otherwise, if a student falls behind and starts earning low scores, their motivation will drop as well.
While it is important that students work alongside their teachers, we would also greatly benefit from teachers who set a foundation based on communication. Last school year, the counseling department distributed a survey that allowed students to give feedback on Social Emotional Learning lessons. This form helped the counselors adapt the lessons to answer student questions and provide them relevant knowledge they can apply to their lives.
Teachers can help students succeed by ensuring each student personally wants and feels prepared for the rigorous challenges. The recent addition of office hours is a step forward in the right direction. Office hours are an optional, 25 minute period open to students during the first half of lunch. Each department is assigned a day of the week, and students can have their questions answered, receive tutoring or go over grades. Teachers need to emphasize that anyone can attend office hours.
Another issue is learning loss, which usually occurs over summer breaks. This year, learning loss is higher due to the pandemic. To combat this problem, teachers should review previous curriculum material to provide students the chance to recover lost knowledge before major assessments.