THE ECHO

by Sean Keenan

As someone who’s always chasing good grades and a high GPA, you’d think I’d be a huge fan of honors classes. In theory, they sound great: smart classmates, more engaging material, and a chance to impress colleges. I’ll admit, honors classes often provide a better environment for learning. But after taking plenty of them, I’ve realized they aren’t as great as they seem.

The issue isn’t that they’re too challenging. The real issue is that they change the way students approach school. Instead of worrying about what I’m learning, I was always concerned about my grade. At some point, I lost interest in the subject matter altogether, I only worried about my grade. Even when I had gone into an exam feeling hopeful, I would get anxious anticipating that one low grade would hurt my GPA. I even broke the habit of checking my grades once because I feared they would drop.

Worse, this mentality did not stay confined to the classroom. It started to overflow into all I was doing.  With sports, it was difficult for me to pick up from coaches because I personally took criticism, believing that I was failing. In track, it was if I needed to achieve a new PR every meet. With football, one bad game made me feel like I’d never be good enough. This perfectionistic way of thinking is exhausting, and there’s no easy way to get rid of it.

It turns out I’m not alone. A study published in the Journal of Education and Practice found that 75% of high-achieving students report above-average stress levels. According to the American Institute of Stress, teens now report higher stress levels than adults, averaging 5.8 out of 10 on the stress scale, two points higher than the adult average. With students already overwhelmed, the added pressure from stressing on grades only makes things worse.

Yes, honors classes will make your college applications better. But at what price? Learning must be learning good habits and enjoying the ride, not fretting over every percentage point. Having a high GPA might land you in a good college, but good habits and a sane mind will get you much farther in life.

So, relax. Enjoy high school. And keep in mind, school’s not all about grades.