Dear Genesis,
I have no words. Everyday from 7am to 4pm I miss you so much. After years of being together with no interruption, suddenly we were ripped apart. Administration thinks you’re a distraction during class time, leading students to miss critical instruction. They claim you cause us more harm than help, but my stress levels have spiked even greater than before. Faculty doesn’t want to be negotiated with anymore, but what is love without a battle? The entire purpose of our crave for you is not because we adore your green and yellow logo, but because we are expected to deliver success time and time again.
My safe space at home, where I’m supposed to not have to worry about you, has turned into a negative environment where I’m worried about grades.
When I’m expected to perform in extracurriculars, I can’t stop looking at your glowing gradebook after being apart for so long. I may still be a minor but I feel as though I have been stripped of my independence. This is ironic as in a few months I am going off to college and expected to have a good school/life balance for future professors. Before our relationship, I didn’t have the mystery of wondering what I got right or wrong on an assignment because my teachers would put it directly in my hands. Now, some teachers barely return tests and essays, leaving our grades out of sight.
I know I like true crime shows, but the suspense of not being able to calmly reach out to a teacher after seeing my grades change is exhausting. Students nowadays enjoy the reward system of studying for hours on end and then seeing the hard work pay off. Without you at first glance, there feels to be no incentive to do better and better each time. With no warning of you going away, other than two days, being grounded from Genesis feels like a punishment more than a trial run. This issue goes beyond just a survey from Challenge Success. The lack of concern for student perspective, even with a principal advisory committee, that occurred before enacting the ban forces the blame onto us rather than the education system as a whole.
Yes, we understand, boundaries with checking grades in classes is a smart initiative. Students should be able to solely focus on their class in the moment, rather than dwelling on grades concerning other subjects. Many claim that you shouldn’t need to check grades every second because at the end of the day you should trust yourself and your studying process. If you don’t prepare for your assessments, you will not have a positive outcome, and this is a life lesson in itself. This just wasn’t the way to go about making students worry less. The ban is not only causing more stress for students, but it’s also kept the competitive culture in our school just as strong, a problem which it aimed to stop. We want to feel heard in this school system, be able to work hand and hand with administration to help ensure healthy habits, and to prepare for our future.
Until next time, we miss you, and please come back.
Love,
Ellie Hughes & Maggie Casper
