In a world where schools are becoming more competitive and standards are higher than ever, students are trying to survive the pressure of maintaining a balanced social life while preparing themselves for a successful future. Many struggling to find a happy-medium express that they are not content with the environment and system of the American education.
“The education system is setting kids up for failure,” junior Carmel Abramov said.
Adolescents, whose brains are yet to fully develop, are discouraged by their grades.
The school system is built to create talented youth into skilled adults, however, if students are led to constant dismay by the system itself, how is one expected to appreciate their education with determination?
Campuses need to be a positive and healthy place for young people to spend their time. Emotional and mental responses are often to stress triggered by overwhelming amounts of schoolwork or treatment by classmates and teachers.
“School makes me hate myself. Getting less than straight As makes me feel like a complete idiot and my teachers make me feel horrible about myself,” junior Alexa Hirsch said.
In a survey of 137 students, 80 percent said that they only study in order to get the desired grade rather than eagerness to gain knowledge. In a setting where students should want to put effort into gaining an education, many are unmotivated.
“I’m on Ritalin for my AP test that’s in a few hours,” senior Alexander Chesney said. “I literally have to take drugs to try to get a better grade. The scariest part is the effectiveness that drugs like Ritalin and Adderall are when used for studying.”
Besides this impact that many American schools have on students, some are unimpressed by what it is worth, for many believe that school has become a systematic way of making money.
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