We’ve all witnessed it; You get your test back in math and everyone around you starts chatting, “what did you get? Did you get an A?” This culture of transparency with our peers about our academics has created a negative and inaccurate academic norm in our school. We constantly are trying to show superiority in our academics. From the constant praise and awards to the competitive courses and college applications, NNHS has always put an emphasis on academic achievement, but how far is too far?
As Psychology Today puts it, schools place students into an “intellectual hierarchy.” This gives students at the top a chance to bully other kids for their lower performance. We are constantly told “you need to improve” or “you can always do better,” but at some point, we can’t give anymore, we’ve rea
ched our breaking point. For many, this is where we begin to isolate those with different “bests.”
I’ve noticed this culture more and more during my senior year. Not only is it prevalent in class, but it’s also common with college applications. Constantly asking people where they are applying and asking how far they are with their applications in order to measure one’s own accomplishments.
Why does it matter where I am applying? We’re all going to places where I doubt I’ll see most of my peers again. The only reason for asking others these questions is to compare and validate one’s own accomplishments. This creates a sense of competition, when in reality we should be helping one another, as we all share a common goal.
I believe this competition stems from the idea that Naperville North has so many high-ranking students. We believe that we have to constantly be above others in our academics to prove something. But what are we proving? I know that there was a time where I felt like the only thing I had going for me was my academic achievements. This led to me seeking constant validation from others with my grades, but in reality, so many others were at the same level as me. This validation came from a place of insecurity, as I needed to feel like I had something going for me.
Our school focuses so heavily on academics that any accomplishments I made were belittled. Although it is important to do our best, this does not mean getting a perfect score on every test. When people laugh about failing their tests, they are doing so in defense, in order to hide the disappointment they feel. This comes from the idea that we all need to be perfect, or we aren’t good enough, or that we aren’t benefitting anyone.
The pressure from the 
school also causes a lack of purpose in many. When I asked her, one friend of mine mentioned that “academics is the biggest emphasis at NNHS.” This over-emphasis on our grades allows students with lower scores to lose their goals, as the only thing being told to them is that we need to improve our grades. With the loss of our sense of purpose, we also begin to lose empathy. Without empathy, we are basically robots, living life without any goals. In reality, it is just as important to develop these soft skills along with your intelligence. Despite this, many of the population is under the belief that our intelligence is more important, as shown in this photo.
Through all of this pain we endure, we still continue to inflict it on others, but why? We constantly want to know where we are ranked compared to others, but if we focus on this, how can we focus on our improvement. Our academics are individual, we are all different, and by this, we should keep academics individual, rather than leaving transparency between our peers. This allows a safe environment to grow as students, instead of being put on the spot by our grades. Through this, we can create a new culture in Naperville North. One of acceptance, not isolation.
I thought this was a really interesting post. I completely agree with you that there is so much pressure on students these days to get good grades and to get into a good school that we sometimes forget what’s most important. I know we’ve had conversations about this a couple of times in choir. I agree that social skills are just as important as academic skills, and I do think that there is too much of an emphasis on only academics, especially here at school. In most jobs, the social skills end up being more important because the majority of the job involves interacting with others and having to work as a team. I do agree that people may give up on their goals if they are told they are not smart enough to achieve them, but I disagree that this correlates to them losing empathy. I would have to do more research on that topic though. I do think we should all try to be more considerate and supportive of each other.
I love that you brought up choir, as I know I’ve always felt we bring up great points in there. Everyone, even those with “better” grades, feels the pressure of academics constantly. By communicating with others, we can help alleviate that stress!
Hey Erin,
I really agree with a lot of the problems that you have pointed out about the academic culture surrounding Naperville North. Because we have so many students who would be ranked in the top of the nation, it’s easy to feel stupid in comparison to them. In middle school, I was taking all normal class but I wanted to challenge myself more in high school. I decided to take the jump and switch to 2 honors classes. For most of my high school career, I was comparing myself to everyone else in my other classes and in my eyes, I always fell short. My grade was never enough. I was never smart enough. Someone was always better than me. But in the past year or so, I have tried to consciously make a change from using my grades to validate my intelligence or who I am as a person. Like you said, by constantly competing against other students, we are only creating a toxic environment for ourselves. I think one major change that would need to happen in order to help change this environment would be to have parents put less pressure on their kids and for them to put a larger emphasis on working hard and being content when you try your best– regardless of whether or not you get an A.
Yes!!!! It’s so scary seeing those around you getting better grades or being more confident, but that positive environment can really change everything. Having supportive role models who constantly challenge you, but also give you praise is key to that successful mindset!
I totally agree with you on how senior year brings out more competition in some people, especially with college applications. I remember that petition that went around a few years ago, against the Naperville North culture of being too achievement-focused, causing a hostile environment. Although I’m not sure what happened with that petition, I do think that it had some validity. Being in a “Blue Ribbon School”, or whatever we are, comes with some drawbacks. The competitive, cutthroat culture can be difficult to handle and can easily discourage students. I’m a firm believer in the fact that tests and grades don’t reflect one’s intelligence, because they don’t measure so many other important traits, such as ambition, passion, etc. I share your views on the individuality of academics, and it’s common around our school that people don’t think twice about asking others about their grades, disregarding how some might want to keep their scores private. I think that since school already comes with pressure and stress, there’s no need to add more on top through the social culture of competition, and a more relaxed school environment could benefit many.
That’s an interesting anecdote, the petition. I remember thinking that at the time it was “excessive,” but after going through four years at NNHS, I can really see the repercussions of the cutthroat culture.
Erin, I think this is a very important topic to be talked about. I know how I feel when I don’t do well on a test but all my friends have aced it…I feel dumb, which is really not a great feeling. I think that in general, most high school students have extremely high and unhealthy levels of stress surrounding their academic abilities and pressure to be competing with the best in their class. Many students even begin begin to crack under the pressure which in turn leads students to sometimes seek out unhealthy things in order to feel special or validated. This cycle is extremely toxic and can be very detrimental for those students. How do you think that we would be able to reduce the amount of stress surrounding grades besides simply not telling others our grades?
I totally agree! When my friends get good grades but I don’t, part of me just wants to keep things to myself, but people often force it out of you. I think that we can reduce this stress by giving out grades individually, rather than handing out tests as a class. Also, by giving students the grades online first, they can feel the pain of a bad grade in a safe space, rather than in a classroom surrounded by others.