Teachers vs. Students: What should students prioritize the most?
With many students trying to balance the different aspects in their lives, it can be hard to sort out what their priorities should be.
Students often have trouble figuring out what to prioritize to get the most out of everything going on in their high school years. Teachers and students don’t always agree on what those priorities should be.
CHS teachers Seth Roper (history and anthropology) and Jennifer Barnhart (math) agreed with each other that seniors should focus on “finishing strong.” Senioritis isn’t what seniors need to drop their grades so soon before they start their possible college careers.
Biology teacher Sam Moyer thinks students should be more concerned with “starting to understand what electives they need to take for their future career.”
Moyer believes students should base their courses on what they want to do with the rest of their life to get a good foundation for it.
But what do the students think is most important?
Senior Kaycee Tonger thinks that although seniors should be getting ready for college, they should also be focused on “enjoying their senior year.”
Sophomore Becky Rodden agrees that students should be “doing the things they want to do while they still can.”
Freshman Isaiah Newhouse thinks students of all grades just need to “have fun but also maintain good grades and have a good overall year.”
In the end, it’s the student’s choice over what they put first in their life. Get the most out of your high school years before they’re over. Do the things you want to do in high school, such as homecoming or prom, because these opportunities will not always be there.
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Kenny Brenizer is a junior and the perspectives editor for the 2016-2017 Periscope staff. She does no sports. She has no hobbies. She just wants cats and...
Emma Bateman • Oct 26, 2015 at 9:49 pm
I think both opinions are very important to consider. I think that students should be able to take more of the classes they will be using in the future, and I was able to have an internship with a fifth grade teacher (I want to be a teacher) instead of taking math and science classes, but I do still take other challenging classes. I will use this experience much more than any math of science class if I do become a teacher. Senior year should certainly not be a slacker year, since you need to be ready for more rigor in college if you can go, however, I think a stressful senior year with the stress of college applications and future planning can be a little bit to much to deal with. It is certainly very important to balance the two while still getting a good education.
Jackson Hoch • Oct 26, 2015 at 11:32 am
It’s never a good idea to think that it’s time to stop trying, because once people fall into that mindset then it’s hard to come out of that mindset. Senior Year is a year to work harder than ever before and it’s a time where prioritizing time because vital. With all that being said, people should have fun with their friends and the activities they are in since they may never have those moments again.
Charles Willis • Oct 25, 2015 at 10:03 pm
The last thing I want to do my Senior year is graduate with poor grades. I feel that is would be a great shame to finish my high school career with a bad report card because I became another victim to “Senioritis”. I never could understand why someone would work so hard three years in a row only to blow off the forth. I think the key to having a enjoyable senior year is to try to do all the mandatory stuff in the first three years so their is room to take classes that you may be interested in and is relevant to what career you have in mind of pursuing.
Alexa Mengenhauser • Oct 23, 2015 at 11:13 am
I definitely think it’s important to enjoy your time as a senior but that doesn’t mean your classes can’t be included in that. I think the key is to take classes your interested in for you final year as most people have already completed mandatory credits so it’s a great opportunity to take something fun. If you take classes that you enjoy then doing to work for them will be enjoyable too and it won’t feel like a chore having to do a little homework before something fun on the weekend. That way it’s easier to enjoy senior year both in and out of the classroom.
Sarah Frick • Oct 21, 2015 at 12:24 pm
Senior year is definitely about making some memories that one can carry with themselves onto college, but in no means should use that as an excuse to slack in their grades. Students must learn to compromise and balance their education with activities they enjoy because a year later once they reach college there won’t be parents there to tell you that you shouldn’t go out the night before a big test, we need to be able to make that decision for ourselves.