Features 5
January 2013
Rising Students Struggle Adjusting to Rigor of Upper Level Classes By Syra Kayani Sports Editor
Junior Samantha Schlictman is one for a challenge. After her sophomore year, she jumped from on-grade level English 10 to Honors English 11. In making this jump she hoped to challenge herself, even if it meant getting a lower grade. But Honors English has turned out, according to Samantha, to be “way harder” than she expected. Students who are making the jump from on-grade level to upper-level classes often face this problem. According to Schlictman, on-grade level classes are too easy and upper level classes are too challenging. “The teachers pretty much do the work for you in reg. Last year my teachers did not make us do a lot of essays, and when we did, the teachers walked us through every baby step. But now that I’m in Honors English this year, it is harder to write essays on my own,” said Schlictman. Junior Austin Jones, who made the jump with Schlictman from on-grade level
English 10 to English 11 Honors, is also caught between classes. “The level for a reg class is set really low . . . Honors for me feels like college level,” said Jones. English teacher Mrs. Lopez is one of the many educators who provides after school help for students in transition. “Until you get there, you don’t really realize how hard it is going to be . . . I always talk to my students privately because I like to understand what they are going through on a personal level,” said Mrs. Lopez. But extra help is not always enough. With the change in rigor these students must face, many require individual support and individualized assistance, which can be hard to find. Junior Nour Aboumatar is a student who has taken an on grade level course before and is currently taking all Honors, GT, and AP courses. She knows firsthand how different these courses can be. “It’s not the work that’s necessarily harder; it’s the way you are treated by the teachers and the expectations for the class,” said Aboumatar.
Aboumatar believes that students who are transitioning must realize that higher-level classes simply require more effort from the individual. Guidance counselor Mrs. Dee Dee Macer has been working for Wilde Lake for 11 years. She has encountered several hundred students who have come to her in their times of need. “We have Bridges after school, a parent volunteer tutoring program, teacher conferences with the student, and parents and individual teachers offer extra help classes after school,” said Mrs. Macer. “Students,” said Mrs. Macer, just “need to advocate for themselves more.” According to Mrs. Macer, “Students are only switched out of classes by parent or teacher request, so unless a student speaks up to a parent or teacher about the problems they are having in school, nothing will be done about it.” Besides support from advisors at school and at home, veteran jumpers offer many tips for students who are struggling in their classes and are not sure if they are ready to make a jump.
“If you are prepared to work harder and learn how to manage your time wisely,” said Schlictman “moving up will be a good option. All you can do is make sure you are taking the initiative to seek help if you are struggling, challenge yourself, and most importantly, don’t give up.” Schlictman is currently working hard to pull up her grades. She hopes to turn her grade around by the end of the school year so she can be proud of what she has accomplished in her Honors class. “I am going to persevere, turn in my work more, seek a tutor, and try to improve my writing skills, so I can finish off this year successfully,” said Schlictman. According to Mrs. Macer, the difficulty in jumping up a class level lies in the fact that students are not well informed about how to succeed in an upper-level class. She believes that taking advantage of opportunities, such as tutoring and after-school help sessions, are essential for a smooth transition. “The work isn’t harder,” said Mrs. Macer. “It’s just new.”
“Wrestling off the Drowsiness”
Athletes Say Rigorous Activity Helps with School and Sleep By Jorge Alvarez Illustrator
Sophomore Zach Vincent wrestles to keep a positive attitude and relieve the stress that builds up during school. “Even if I don’t stress over many things, wrestling helps me go to bed every night and get [the] recommended amount of sleep,” said Vincent. Similarly, Senior Abbie Wright feels the benefit of playing a sport despite the time it takes from her already busy schedule. Wright has played on the Wilde Lake Girls soccer team since freshman year. “You just need to manage your time,” said Wright. “When I played soccer, I’d end up coming home at around six or seven, depending on how long practice was, eat dinner, do homework, and crash.” But now that the fall season is over and she does not have nightly practices to consume her extra time and energy, Wright has experienced a negative impact on her sleep schedule. “I feel like I got a lot better sleep [during the season] because I was tired mentally and physically after practices and games, so I could immediately go straight to sleep . . . Now that the season is over, my mind tends to be tired while my body is ready to get up and go.” Wright was used to spending late nights studying and finishing homework after soccer games. Now that the season is over, she has much more time and can get her schoolwork completed. Still, Wright prefers her schedule during soccer
season because, she said, “I’d rather have to stay up late to do homework than finishing it at home and twiddling my thumbs for the rest of the night . . . In any case, playing soccer resulted in me taking better care of myself and maintaining a set schedule.” Vincent also attests to the positive impact of participating in sports on his daily schedule. “I’m pretty alert throughout the school day now that I can get a night of sleep,” said Vincent. “I can finally ‘wrestle’ off the drowsiness.” Sleep is important. According to Sylviane Duval of Health Behavior News, “Only about eight percent of high school students get enough sleep on an average school
night . . . The others are living with serious sleep deficits that could lead to daytime drowsiness, depression, headaches and poor performance at school.” Vincent and Wright are both examples of how rigorous sports activity can relieve stress and increase alertness in the classroom. They claim that although playing a sport consumes a significant amount of personal time, the benefit of coming from the arena is showing in the classroom. Shuffling around the mat, Sophomore Zachary Vincent lunges, sweeps and traps his opponent in a half-nelson and pins him down, assuring a win for the Wildecat wrestling team. Vincent leaves the match physically tired, but ready for sleep and school the next morning.
Photograph by Becka Farquhar In practice, Senior Tola Morakinyo demonstrates how to escape an opponent’s hold.
“Now that the season is over, my mind tends to be tired while my body is ready to get up and go.” -Abbie Wright