This week, my mom went out of town on a business trip for 3 or so days. She is an elementary/middle school ESL teacher in the Bethlehem Area School District, and for some of you that don't know, ESL stands for English as a Second language. It is a remediation class the transfer or foreign students that are not skilled in the English language. My mom helps them learn our language so they can have an easier educational experience here in America.
Although being an ESL teacher may not seem to have anything to do with this, my mom was chosen to be on the committee to argue/ debate about class rank in schools. Many schools and states are thinking about dropping class rank for many reasons, and Nazareth is one. Therefore, she left for Harrisburg for a convention over this topic on Tuesday morning to talk to a school board about reasons why we should leave class rank behind us. My mom has shared some information with me about it but left me thinking about the rest.
Inevitably, I began thinking. I know many people rely on their class rank as motivation or reward to do well in school, and I think it is sad. It seems to be the utmost important, worth defining part of highschool right now. Coincidentally, class rank came up as a topic in our psychology class on Monday, and it set me off. A girl voiced that her class rank, she feels, defines her and her abilities. What does being 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in the class get you? A speech at graduation? Colleges look at so many other things other than your class rank such as your sports, clubs, etc. I find it hard to understand why someone needs that one number for reassurance that they are deserving and better than anyone else. I believe that class rank can create compulsive tendencies in students nowadays, and it is mentally unhealthy. Students should not have to rely so much focus on one number, that in retrospect, means nothing. It pins students against each other, and I feel you can experience it first hand here in Nazareth. They become competitive and lose their love and reason for learning. At this point, it is not about learning anymore, but instead, it is about the one, small number.
Do you feel as though class rank should be removed from school criteria?
I think that class rank is unnecessary. I was just talking to my friends about it and the longer the discussion went on the more I realized it serves no purpose. For me class rank is not a motivator, my actual GPA is. Not only that but the class rank assemblie hurt so many students. People argue that these assemblies congratulate students on their hard work, but like the essay we read for homework the other day mentioned, it has no gauge how hard you worked. Some students could work twice as hard as those in the top 10% and still not be close to the top so I think these assemblies can be very harmful. Also the assemblies themselves are not really something I look forward too and I would not be crushed if they were no longer a thing. Overall I just feel as if there is not a really strong need for class rank and it does more harm than good.
ReplyDeleteI believe that class rank has become unnecessary over the years. Students aim to lower there class rank in order to appeal to colleges, when in reality that is not what colleges look for anymore. A students GPA, test scores and involvement in activities is what colleges are focused on. Some students may use their class rank as a way to motivate themselves to do well in school, but in the end it is just a number that will have no impact on their life or success.
ReplyDeleteFrom experience, I can say that knowing my class rank has only worsen my mental health and lowered my thirst for knowledge. I used to love learning about different topics and always loved being challenged. Now, when I am in a class that challenges me and threatens to lower my GPA and class rank I freak out. The only reason I freak out is because I want to have the GPA or class rank that can get me into a specific college. With this reasoning, I agree that schools should get rid of class rank. It leads to unhealthy competition amongst peers and in some cases physically and mentally hurts a student. It also leads to students losing their want for knowledge while they only care about their grades.
ReplyDeleteI don't think class rank is necessary. Like Julie, class rank has weakened my mental health, and I think it applies too much unnecessary pressure on students. We have to stress about so much already, that worrying about your class rank seems so small compared to the rest. I think that if schools would get rid of class rank, students could focus on more than just what number they are, instead, they can focus on their success in the classroom and how much they are learning.
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