By: Steph Wetzel, Caroline Schnabel, Kasey Vangelov, Nicole Kazmierczak
The level of stress and competition at East might make students feel like they’re running a marathon but can’t see the finish line. Whether it’s qualifying for NHS, working for a high class rank, or applying for colleges, the students are working nonstop. Students and faculty alike are also concerned with the amount of sleep students are getting each night, budgeting their time, and preparing for upcoming finals.
The idea of taking multiple APs and scoring high in class rank stresses students out the most, like Junior Hannah Tarrant. “I believe homework is what stresses me out the most. I feel like I don’t have enough time to finish homework, get enough sleep, and go to work every week,” Tarrant said.
Other students have views similar to Tarrant’s. They find that there should be a better focus on creativity and learning rather than competing.
Teachers and administrators are aware of this, and are thinking of ways to decrease the amount of stress each student has. Meditation, or secular “Mindfulness” days will occur in room 119 with Mr. Townsend starting in May. He plans on having them every day during fourth period for 20 minutes; however, only students who are free and value this opportunity will go.
The East Side News has reported on issues similar to this with the support of Co-Advisors Mr. Huber and Mr. Maciejewski, and after insightful discussions with new principal Mr. Scanzuso, Mr. Huber decided to shadow me, Steph Wetzel on April 22nd of this year.
Mr. Scanzuso originally got the idea after a math teacher at his son’s school shadowed his son for a day. His experience allowed him to understand what a student goes through each day, and influenced him to be more thoughtful when creating assignments and assigning less homework. Mr. Scanzuso said, “My hope for this experience is for Mr. Huber to get a much better perspective of what students are faced with on a daily basis from an academic, social, emotional standpoint and if this experience allows him an opportunity to share what he’s learned with his colleagues, it could be enlightening for all of us.”
Mr. Huber attended all of my classes with me and took a Spanish test that I had that day (he did have a substitute teacher that day to cover his classes). Due to the fact that I only have first period free, Mr. Huber was forced to eat lunch during a class like I do each day. I interviewed Mr. Huber about his experience and received feedback that was worth noting.
Steph Wetzel: Why did you decide to do this?
Mr. Huber: I did this to learn from a student’s perspective to better not only my own teaching, but to also better understand what it might be like to be a student for just one, random day. Obviously, there are infinitely different experiences a student can go through, but I thought, “Hey, let’s give it a shot and hope I can survive.”
SW: You found that you were easily distracted during class, whether it was from a movie playing in the next classroom, or a student getting up to use the restroom. Due to the fact that this is the same environment in which you teach, why do you feel that you’re more distracted as a “student” than as a teacher?
MH: There’s a difference in teaching because I’m always working. Some people say teaching is like performing. It’s my job to stay focused. I noticed more distractions when I was sitting. Standing and moving around is a lot different from sitting. I have more freedom as teacher when it comes to my free periods and the way the class runs. From a student’s perspective, it’s easier to focus when participating, because I think about how quickly my colleagues and I want to chit-chat at faculty meetings and get off topic, and sitting all day for eight periods in a row concentrating my hardest would make my brain explode. Or my rear end to fall asleep, which happened twice.
SW: Now that you understand what it’s like to be in the shoes of a student with no free periods and no time to use the restroom during class, do you plan on being more lenient when your students ask if they can use the restroom during your class?
MH: I distinctly remember having to squeeze that in between class periods that day and I was late twice, each time I went. I even had no line because I used the men’s faculty bathroom. So the question became, why does no one ask to go to the bathroom during class? And am I too lenient with my students who ask to go 6th and 9th periods like clockwork? The answer is no, I am not too lenient because students really need some time to do basic things like go to the bathroom, fill their water bottle, and decompress with a peer for just a little while. I also understand the urge, pun intended, to use the bathroom just to get out of my seat and break up my day.
SW: You felt self-conscious when you were in the front of the room during Spanish, but you are in the front of the room every day when you are teaching. Why do you feel more self-conscious as a student?
MH: When I was in the front, I was keenly aware that all eyes were on me. I wanted to do well on the test that we were taking. I was self-conscious because I was the last one to finish the test. As a teacher I am the authority in the room, both in rules and in content. It is expected that students pay attention to me. I felt comfortable talking to Mrs. Bean because I sat up front, but as a student in the back of almost every remaining class, I felt disengaged and unlikely to ask the teacher a question when I was near the hallway or at the back of the row. I have students with IEPs (Individualized Education Program) that require that they sit up front or near instruction, so this makes a lot of sense to me. However, students might choose to sit in the back, but it is at their disservice. Actually, that reminds me that some students have an IEP regarding their anxiety. This is the first year I’ve seen that.
SW: How do your free periods, social time, lunch, etc. compare to a students?
MH: When I ate during Chemistry 7th period, I was actually eating slightly earlier than usual, but I was still hungrier possibly due to how much I was focusing on the review for the upcoming test. I am really busy during my frees—sometimes I eat in only fifteen minutes; however, that is my choice to spend it how I want, like reading the paper. When I was eating in class, I didn’t have that choice. I am still able to relax even if I am working, but eating in class was not relaxing. I figure I only focused about 50% of my brain on the test review at best, while the other 50% was thinking, “This is the best sandwich I have ever had,” and when Mr. Kryder brought us ice cream sandwiches during AP Language I thought ,“This is the best day ever.” My notes show that I was hungry from 10:15 until 1:15, revealing that I thought about hunger for three hours. I don’t do that when I’m teaching.
SW: So how is the health of students related to the health of the faculty?
MH: Well, I think it also includes the parents. If students are stressed over too many tests and too much homework, who gave them those tests and homework assignments? The same people who have to grade them or at least mark them to show they are being accountable and therefore holding students accountable as well. However, students do need to be assessed, and not just with New York State assessments, so we (teachers) have to create and assign assessments and homework. Parents want their kids to learn and to do well, and they see the high level of courses and effective teachers here, so of course they push their child to take challenging courses and so forth. If parents, students, and teachers learn to understand grading in a different way or change the nature of homework assignments, then all three parties can focus more on the learning aspect than the grading and grade aspect. And this is just one example of one way we are all connected.
SW: What are some lessons you took away from this day?
MH: First, all students should have a mandatory lunch break somewhere from 4th to 7th period, even if it’s 20 minutes. Students need to have time to eat a decent lunch and socialize or put their head down for 10 minutes. It would also be a great time to hit up the bathroom. Second, we need a different schedule, maybe mods or blocking, to allow for more creativity, flexibility, and continuity in the classroom, which should allow for less homework. Third, the only time I interacted with a teacher was when I asked a teacher something as a fellow teacher before or after the period, other than Mrs. Bean (I think because I sat up front). I didn’t do the homework, which you said took about five hours over the weekend to accomplish, the test and upcoming tests didn’t count for me, and I had no high school drama whatsoever. In addition, work ended at the end of the day and I don’t have music lessons or practice for a sport. The billion dollar question is: can we find a way to be more productive in the classroom during the day so teachers, students, and parents can have a healthy or healthier home life?
SW: Students want to know who’s next to try shadowing?
MH: So far, one teacher personally told me she would do it. She didn’t say she will. That one word makes a huge difference.
SW: Would you do this again?
MH: Absolutely; in fact, I hope to shadow a student from each of the remaining grade levels, and hopefully get a nice mix from the student with six APs to a ninth grader to a student from another country. And the cool part is that students are asking me if they can shadow a teacher. Now isn’t that something?
