Should parents give students more credit?

Throughout generations, expectations for students grow immensely. According to Statista, from a little under 6 million people attending school in 1965 to over 20 million college attendees today, competition for college has surged in the past 50 years.  With the loss of medium-skill jobs due to technology, a college degree is almost necessary for success in the future. Students many times do not receive the credit they deserve as school gets more rigorous.

Every student is different. Sometimes a student may put forth their best effort in school, but not achieve the goal that the parent set; however, that does not mean that they did not try their hardest. They deserve their amount of credit based on the amount of work they put in. Even though their report card may not be perfect, that does not mean they were not trying.  They deserve the affirmation and credit.

In addition, students are constantly told to do anything to perfect their college application.  This ranges from joining a sport, signing up for service clubs and filling up their schedules to appeal to colleges.

Hard-working students end up having so much on their schedule and sometimes parents do not even notice it because they work. High schoolers do a lot more than what people think, attending school for six hours a day, participating in extracurriculars and then completing homework for all of their classes. In between all of that, they try to maintain a social life or engage in hobbies that do not relate to school.  Managing all of this is not simple and should under no circumstances be undermined.

Besides this, high school courses keep intensifying, and with AP or honors courses, standardized tests for the courses have become harder. Teacher’s expectations for these classes increase too, giving students more work and more rigorous exams.

School curriculum has developed substantially since the times most of the current generation’s parents went to school and students are required to grow up more quickly with all of the work that is expected of them. How much hardworking students have to accomplish holds more similarities than people think when compared to hardworking adult’s workload.

Almost all parents want the best for their children. Sometimes, they think pressuring their child will result in motivation for them, without taking into account all of the work they have on their plate. In the end, the amount of credit a parent should give to their kid depends on the situation.