9x9x25: Standards

“Yours is the only class I try in.”

 “I actually think in your class –like, use my brain and stuff.”

“I didn’t like English before your class.”

Of course I love to hear things like this, but there’s something that also concerns me about it. Because I teach seniors this year I hear more and more about the guidelines of “College Board”, a group that decides seemingly arbitrary standards for achievement. I say that the standards are seemingly arbitrary because students are expected to keep a 3.7 or higher GPA, on top of holding a position in a school club or organization for at least two years, on top of having a job outside of school, on top of having a number of volunteer hours.

My question is this: are we training our kids to have burnout at an earlier and earlier age?

I feel like the community college world has long been addressing the fact that our student seem to be getting dumber and dumber. If our high schools are demanding more and more from our students (and, arguably, if learning standards like Common Core are training students to engage their critical thinking skills at an earlier rate), then why does it seem that community college students are so underprepared?

“Miss Kauffman, I’m so overwhelmed with school right now. The college classes and sports…” She sighs and runs a hand through her hair. “My parents won’t let me quit soccer, but my grade is getting worse in math…” After a pause she says, “I’m so burnt out, I’m thinking I won’t even go to college. I’m so overwhelmed right now and everyone keeps saying that college will be harder. I don’t know. I don’t think I can handle it.”

Maybe I was able to at least convince her to go to Yavapai College (rather than to throw her education away) –but is that why our community college students seem so apathetic –because community college is the last option before completely quitting? Is that the reason why I get so many more excuses for not doing work at the community college level –because smart kids have decided they’re not high-achieving enough to compete with Ivy League-like standards for universities? And because tuition is rising at a staggering rate, demands for scholarships and grants are nearly impossible.

I suppose there is no answer to these questions, merely an observation. Teaching at a college prep high school at the same time as teaching at a community college presents a great opportunity to talk about college readiness, to try and make that transition as smooth as possible. Sometimes at the end of the day, though, we forget that these high school kids are still just kids, that as high-achieving as they are they still just want to laugh while their teacher raps Hamilton for them. If they can laugh and have a good time (in addition to working , of course) they can forget about their goals and standards –for an hour, at least.