During the stress of registering for next year’s classes, students are pressured to make early decisions about taking classes above their grade level to potentially get ahead of their peers.
Some students, particularly freshmen and sophomores, are making the decision to accelerate. Some fear falling behind, while others are making the decision for their futures.
Gabriella Swift, 9, opens up about the struggles of feeling behind, despite being on the standard academic path.
“The students I’m in classes with right now don’t take their learning seriously, so a lot of kids are failing, and they just don’t enjoy it,” Swift said. “Then, the teachers don’t help you, because everyone else needs help.”
Students who often need extra help in classes are prioritized over students who are doing well in the class. This can make the students who aren’t at risk of failing feel neglected. Swift seeks to take more challenging classes in her sophomore year to help her get ahead and leave this type of classroom environment.
“I feel like it’s either you’re with everyone else, or you’re just behind everyone else,” Swift said.
As others consider accelerating their classload, Naomi Lennox, 9, shares the benefits of doing so.
“I really like to challenge myself school-wise,” Lennox said. I’ve always enjoyed school, and I thought it would be better to accelerate in my high school career and participate in as many higher-level classes as I can.”
Doubling up fills schedules very quickly, leaving little room for lower-stakes classes such as electives or study halls. Having a bigger course load can affect students differently, with some feeling overwhelmed, and others adapting well.
“I know other people in my classes do [feel overwhelmed], but I try my best to spread out the work evenly throughout the school day and also during Liberty time,” Lennox said.
While students navigate through the process of registration, guidance counselor Troy Bergmann is a go-to resource for students who feel unsure about acceleration.
“If the purpose of accelerating is just to get the requirements done so that ‘I can do other stuff,’ that’s not really the idea behind it. If it’s because ‘I want to make sure I have all these done, so I can take more classes later on,’ then great. That’s a reason that we would support that,” Bergmann said.
Although there are cases when acceleration is encouraged, there are times when it is not.
“I think we see a lot of [stress] in freshmen and sophomores who now have this immense pressure to get all of their work done,” Bergmann said. “If they had spaced those courses out and waited to double up, it would have brought that workload down a lot, and they probably would have been okay.”
Students often have frequent questions when it comes to doubling up. If students feel conflicted about whether or not accelerating is a good idea for them, Bergmann recommends meeting with your school counselor.
“Sometimes talking through, even just breaking it down and mapping stuff out in terms of a four-year plan, can help students understand,” Bergmann said.
