Advanced Placement or Advanced Pressure?

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Not only does the month of May signify the home stretch for those of us in education, it signifies the most stress filled time for our high school students. The SAT exam is coming up followed closely by the ever demanding Advanced Placement (AP) exams and final exams. More than ever our high school students are expected to be completing college level and AP courses prior to leaving high school and for some, the burden may become Advanced Pressure more so than Advanced Placement.

During this time of testing for our students who we generally may classify as strong, bright, mature, and yes, advanced; we may forget that they are still kids just like everyone else. They may be a tad more intelligent than the average student on a bell curve, but they are only 17 or so and have all of the worries and stresses that come with being a teenager. As educators and leaders, we need to keep this in mind through the coming weeks and help our students not only prepare, but manage the stresses of their lives.

In the next few weeks, let's remember to encourage our students that while the test may be demanding, it's nothing that they can't master. That the test produces a number of their intelligence on a given day at a given moment in time but is not a measure of the complete individual. Talk to your students and ask them about what concerns and stresses they have and be willing to share your own stories of sacrifice, struggle, and hurt when you went through similar processes in life. Our students look up to us for advice and support and when they hear our stories of struggle and can see that we aren't super human academic robots, it increase their self esteem and reduces their anxiety. So, during this coming month, make sure AP doesn't stand for Advanced Pressure but becomes a true measure of our students' knowledge.

Worth the Read...




West Genesee Community Movie Night is Coming...

Take a Moment to Self Reflect and Grow...

As we come to the end of the school year, take a moment to ask yourself, "What made my favorite teacher, my favorite teacher?" and "What made my least favorite teacher, my least favorite teacher?" Hopefully you will not possess any of the qualities that you disliked in your least favorite teacher. However, no worries because if you do, there is always time and room to grow!!

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