"Making the Grade" (revision)

Many schools hold students to a high standard, and to help them achieve that standard they encourage the students to do their best. Due to this standard, some may crash and burn, while others just don’t have the ability to become that sought-after student. This doesn’t always contribute to work ethic, however, as students have a life outside of school that teachers and educators don’t fully know or understand. Although this is true, most teachers believe that they can judge their students on performance alone, as they have seen them in class and in the hallways. Not only is this untrue, but it can be incredibly bad for some students as they may need some help to unlock a potential greatness that cannot be seen in schoolwork. To help students, teachers should reconsider judging their students on work and performance alone and look into what else is affecting them, as they could have a potential greater than an educator may see at first.

Every student is different, and as a result each student has different needs. For example, a student with ADD/ADHD should be helped so that they can have easier focus on what is going on. Another example is a student with difficulty reading, whether it be dyslexia or eye problems, should be assisted when having to read a novel in literature. However, these needs aren’t always met by teachers, and are often relabeled as laziness or a short attention span. Disorders can also appear in students, and although they may not be common, they can appear in some of the best students and hinder their ability to work properly in a school environment. Even with all of this, teachers will often glaze over these facts and fully believe that the child they’re teaching is just lazy, when in reality the student is trying their best. Lack of effort to help students is found in many schools, specifically from the teachers. Educators need to understand that not all students are giving up in school because they just don’t feel like doing the work, but because they cannot handle it anymore and have too many obstacles in the way. As teachers don’t see this, they only see “problematic” students who don’t try, and these teachers only believe that if they “give their all” that they will be truly successful in school. They’re usually wrong, as most students do give their all while in school, with some students’ all being below average.

School, as a construct, is not a fair way to judge a student’s overall character and ability. Focus is put on academics and not so much on performing arts or being a good person. In fact, most of the time school’s focus on getting high grades can be harmful for some students, as they can begin to see themselves as less important and useless due to only being good for grades and school. Scientists have proven that the brain of a student (ages 18 and under) only begins to fully function at 10 AM, which is two to three hours after school begins for most. Added to this, most students view school negatively because it drains them of feeling and forces them to work for around 8 hours a day, 5-6 days a week. Studies have shown that school is a leading reason for depression in teens, and even without depression most students don’t feel happy at school. With all of these negative emotions weighing down on students every day, teachers should think about how a student would do in school if they didn’t have to deal with so much. A possible change towards students from teachers could take the stress off of them, and allow them to accomplish more than what their limits allow.

Although students and teachers aren’t always the best of friends, they should still be able to understand each other and why they do what they do. Students don’t always mean to slack off, they may just be having a hard time at home or an episode of a mental illness. Teachers should be mindful of the information they’re given by students, and ask if they can help in any way if a child is failing their class. They shouldn’t just base their opinions on students off of how well they can take a test or their skill in writing timed essays. All pupils have the potential to be great, yet they may need help to find it, and so educators should be mindful of this.