One page, then another, then another, the pages weren’t ending as a drop of sweat came riding down his cheek. “Come on” he thought, “I have been practicing this for so long, how can I not remember. Looking around the exam hall in despair, a former grade nine student raced through his mind and tried to find the information he was looking for. As the sweat started to increase, his brain felt that it was going to explode. At that moment his eyes felt like closing and his head hit the table and he fainted. He just couldn’t cope with the pressure.
“Absolutely, I have students coming to me for that issue all the time” says Rose Weima, a middle school counselor of UWCSEA East Campus, Singapore. “Its a rising issue especially for middle schoolers”. “They can’t cope with the curriculum and they’re parents are putting too much pressure on them.” They end up lost and see the world as an isolated space and then find their way to me. Weima initially started working as a math teacher but as she enjoyed the connections she made with her students, she decided she wanted to become a school counselor to further more explore the issues and experiences with her students.
Indeed there are many people who are suffering with academic stress but are too afraid to talk to anyone about it as they often feel they will end up being humiliated or embarrassed. They end up being lost because they can’t talk to their parents because most of the time, they are the ones causing this pressure. Parents don’t understand that what they expect of grades from their children, might not be the best for them and all that really matters is if they are trying their best. Studies show that prolonged academic stress can cause diseases such as obesity, depression, heart diseases and
In most cases, grades (rather than education and learning) have become the major focus of many students. “Grades nowadays don’t reflect what students get out of the class, they get in the middle of learning.” quotes English teacher Jabiz Raisdana. “If we can have a system where student invest their time in learning more about a topic they are curious about and less about what grade they will get, then it will benefit everyone. What readers may not understand is that teachers don’t like giving out grades and that these are just the education system requirements.
According to Mental Health America’s estimates, 20% of teens are clinically depressed which means for our community that we are putting too much pressure on our future generation meaning that they don't enjoy what they are doing. This statistic also reveals that teens these days are not being treated and just being “expected” to lead a healthy life. Students need to be helped and paid attention at for them to not take grades as a pressure but just a measurement.
What do grades actually mean? They are just a number on a paper and mean nothing else. The issue that is rising now is that why do students and parents care so much about the number and not what is determines and what it actually means. The pressure of grades reduces the actual value of learning and knowledge. If a student is found with a grade of D, he will be seen regretting and crying about his grade. He will not be worried about why he got a D and what that means about how he needs to improve to at least get to what is expected. He will be worried about the number D and how when he tells his friends and parents, he will feel embarrassed and to avoid this embarrassment students often cheat.
Instead of having a growth mindset and thinking “oh wow that wasn’t good, next time I will practice more for the test” they have an attitude like the found in 80% percent of students found through a conducted survey “oh no why do I always get D’s how I am I going to tell my parents.” This often leads students to ask their friends for answers and try to cheat which is in fact harmful for them. According to Stamford University cheating rates have gone up to 86%. Students are now more concerned about grades than the actual learning and now they are willing to do anything to find out the answers just to get a good grade. That won’t always work though. Parents, teachers and society need to stop putting pressure on students so that they continue to do their best, don’t cheat and preserve the value of learning and knowledge.
Parents should stop caring about grades and stop comparing their children with other children’s marks. They should just care about if their child is doing their best and how they can improve and get better instead of comparing their child's grade to that of others. It is only not parents all the time though. Students need to to take matters into their own hands and face their problems. If they are not able to cope with the curriculum, they should go to the counselor, talk to their parents, do something instead of waiting for help to ring the doorbell. Experts show that a good way to subside academic stress is through mental ways such as yoga and meditation. Students suffering should take away at least 30 minutes in a day to do whatever they like to do and enjoying themselves. Students need to take matters into their own hands and face their problems and know that grades aren’t everything.
“Absolutely, I have students coming to me for that issue all the time” says Rose Weima, a middle school counselor of UWCSEA East Campus, Singapore. “Its a rising issue especially for middle schoolers”. “They can’t cope with the curriculum and they’re parents are putting too much pressure on them.” They end up lost and see the world as an isolated space and then find their way to me. Weima initially started working as a math teacher but as she enjoyed the connections she made with her students, she decided she wanted to become a school counselor to further more explore the issues and experiences with her students.
Indeed there are many people who are suffering with academic stress but are too afraid to talk to anyone about it as they often feel they will end up being humiliated or embarrassed. They end up being lost because they can’t talk to their parents because most of the time, they are the ones causing this pressure. Parents don’t understand that what they expect of grades from their children, might not be the best for them and all that really matters is if they are trying their best. Studies show that prolonged academic stress can cause diseases such as obesity, depression, heart diseases and
In most cases, grades (rather than education and learning) have become the major focus of many students. “Grades nowadays don’t reflect what students get out of the class, they get in the middle of learning.” quotes English teacher Jabiz Raisdana. “If we can have a system where student invest their time in learning more about a topic they are curious about and less about what grade they will get, then it will benefit everyone. What readers may not understand is that teachers don’t like giving out grades and that these are just the education system requirements.
According to Mental Health America’s estimates, 20% of teens are clinically depressed which means for our community that we are putting too much pressure on our future generation meaning that they don't enjoy what they are doing. This statistic also reveals that teens these days are not being treated and just being “expected” to lead a healthy life. Students need to be helped and paid attention at for them to not take grades as a pressure but just a measurement.
What do grades actually mean? They are just a number on a paper and mean nothing else. The issue that is rising now is that why do students and parents care so much about the number and not what is determines and what it actually means. The pressure of grades reduces the actual value of learning and knowledge. If a student is found with a grade of D, he will be seen regretting and crying about his grade. He will not be worried about why he got a D and what that means about how he needs to improve to at least get to what is expected. He will be worried about the number D and how when he tells his friends and parents, he will feel embarrassed and to avoid this embarrassment students often cheat.
Instead of having a growth mindset and thinking “oh wow that wasn’t good, next time I will practice more for the test” they have an attitude like the found in 80% percent of students found through a conducted survey “oh no why do I always get D’s how I am I going to tell my parents.” This often leads students to ask their friends for answers and try to cheat which is in fact harmful for them. According to Stamford University cheating rates have gone up to 86%. Students are now more concerned about grades than the actual learning and now they are willing to do anything to find out the answers just to get a good grade. That won’t always work though. Parents, teachers and society need to stop putting pressure on students so that they continue to do their best, don’t cheat and preserve the value of learning and knowledge.
Parents should stop caring about grades and stop comparing their children with other children’s marks. They should just care about if their child is doing their best and how they can improve and get better instead of comparing their child's grade to that of others. It is only not parents all the time though. Students need to to take matters into their own hands and face their problems. If they are not able to cope with the curriculum, they should go to the counselor, talk to their parents, do something instead of waiting for help to ring the doorbell. Experts show that a good way to subside academic stress is through mental ways such as yoga and meditation. Students suffering should take away at least 30 minutes in a day to do whatever they like to do and enjoying themselves. Students need to take matters into their own hands and face their problems and know that grades aren’t everything.
Very good job full of interesting information! especially enjoyed that interview that was great stuff. Some of your sentences didn't make perfect sense though.... however you did have a long next steps paragraph which follows the formula perfectly.
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