The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

The Student News Site of Monta Vista High School

El Estoque

What teachers wish students knew

Math teacher Jon Stark stands next to pre calculus equations
Math teacher Jon Stark stands next to pre calculus equations

There are certain misconceptions that students have about school, such as believing that certain classes can impact the rest of their lives. For teachers like English teacher Vennessa Nava, having been through high school themselves, trying to ease students fears about grades and high school is something they work at daily.

“I think [students] are most worried about their grades and performance, especially relative to their peers,” Nava said. “I think the underlying cause of that is college. They see their end point or next step as college and [the] admission process seems really, really competitive, especially for kids that are on the same competitive field.”

College admission rates are smaller each year. According to the University of California’s admission index, students need at least a 3.0 GPA in order to qualify for a UC. Math teacher Jon Stark also recognizes this fear MVHS students hold of not getting in that.

Math teacher Jon Stark stands next to pre calculus equations
Math teacher Jon Stark stands next to pre-calculus equations. Photo by Anish Vasudevan.

“Most of them are worried about getting into some elite college,” Stark said. “They want to go to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, or a UC maybe. They are worried about not getting in, and their parents are worried about [them] not getting in. And that if they don’t get in it ruins their life and they might as well jump off a building right now because life is over if you don’t go to Harvard.”

Just like UCs, Ivy League schools only accept the academically best students. According to USA Today, the average grade point average of students that got into Harvard was 4.10 in 2016. However, Stark doesn’t see the reality behind these digits.

“What I really wish students here knew, the big basic story that will shock everybody, is that it doesn’t matter what college you go to,” Stark said. “For your undergraduate degree, it doesn’t make a bit of difference for your overall long term happiness or success.”

There is also a peer pressure involved for students to take as many AP classes as possible in MVHS before college in order to be prepared, as physics teacher Michael Lordan observes.

“I’ve had many students that have taken more than 5 AP classes, sadly, in a given year, and I personally don’t understand what the rush is,” Lordan said.“I don’t understand why there is so much urgency to get as ahead as quick as you possibly can because high school is supposed to be fun.”

Lordan’s own high school experience was very different from MVHS.

“When I look back at my high school, I look back at it with happiness,” Lordan said. “I took a couple of AP classes my senior year and one AP class my junior year, but I still had a great time. I had to time to hang out with my friends, time to be a person, and I think some students miss out on that fun aspect of high school. Just living and being a person, because they spend so much time on academics so they can get ahead.”

Every Monday, Nava asks her students what they did over the weekend and as the same as Lordan when she talks to her students, she is left with questionable responses.

“[I ask] what did you guys [students] do over the weekend, and they say “study” to me,” Nava said. “I know all the competing pressures with parents telling you to do this, you’re in sports, or you’re doing competitions, but at the same time, if you don’t learn how to make time for your peace of mind and stress reduction now, how are you ever going to learn how to build that in later in life?”

Nava expands on her wishes for what students at MVHS should strive for during high school.

“Even though it feels like a space where things get more serious and suddenly you have to create this record of your potential for the future, it’s still a space where you have room relative to college, careers, and things like that,” Nava said. “You can still be a young person and still explore things, your identity and get to know different people and enjoy yourselves.”

Stark is coming to the end of his teaching career and is planning to retire at the end of this school year. For his students and all students of MVHS, he has a final message.

“Learning something means it sticks with you, not that you memorized it for a quiz and forgot a week later. If it doesn’t stay with you, it has no value,” Stark said. “The whole purpose of high school is to equip you with tools, knowledge, and strategies that are going to stay with you for the rest of your life.”

About the Contributor
Anish Vasudevan, Co-editor-in-chief
Anish Vasudevan is currently a senior and co-editor-in-chief for El Estoque. He is a wide receiver and cornerback for the MVHS football team and enjoys playing recreational basketball with his friends. In his free time he watches ESPN and dreams of being a sports journalist someday.
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