For a lot of high school students, grades can be more than just a letter on a report card. They can be a source of motivation, stress or excitement. Some students feel pressure to keep their grades high. According to the Pew Research Center, 68% of teens feel pressured to get good grades. While others struggle to see the importance of them.
“I get nervous. I think about the grades that aren’t good or don’t meet my expectations or the ones that do. The thought of my mom motivates me to keep them up. I do feel pressured to maintain a certain GPA, it always has to be above a 3.6 on a 4.0 scale,” Grandview High student Tania Castillo said.
She said one of the sacrifices she makes to keep up with her work is sleep, since she stays up late to finish assignments. This reflects a pattern among teen, the CDC reported that 77% of high school students do not get enough sleep, a statics that shows how academic demands can affect students’ health.
Not every student feels the same way about grades. A student from Truman High said grades don’t really motivate him.
“I’m really bad, failing almost all my classes,” junior Carlos Galvez said. “The easy ones with no homework are the ones I enjoy. Lunch and going home motivate me the most during the day.”
His experience shows how differently academic expectations can affect students. Research from the Pew Research Center found that 41% of teens feel pressure to fit in socially that can add more stress that can influence how students view school and grades.
Teachers also see the different ways students react to grades. FACS teacher Amy Hines said she supports all types of students, whether they care about their grades or not.
“I try hard to explain things to them, clarify things if they need help, provide examples where appropriate, provide good resources for them,” Hines said. “For students who seem less motivated by their grades, I try to verbally encourage them and help them see that they are capable of doing the work.”
Hines said parental influence plays a big role in how students approach their school work.
“Parents set an expectation for their children at a young age of how they view the value of school and education,” Hines said. “From behavior to grades, parents set the tone, and hopefully by high school, students have built-in drive to do as well as they can.”
Students themselves can have mixed signals about what grades really mean to them, special education Hines said.
“I don’t think high school grades reflect intelligence, it reflects effort, because you can be intelligent but if you don’t put effort into your work, you won’t get a good grade,” Castillo said. “It’s about the effort you put into the work and learning.” Castillo said that school without pressure would change her own experience. I would probably feel a lot better knowing that I won’t have to stress about grades and looking the best for my family.”
