The Pressure on Students to Get Good Grades

Academic life matters greatly to every individual’s development. Many parents-to-be want their babies to become smart, and they try to do this by making them listen to classical music even while inside the womb. “Studies are showing that infants exposed to classical music develop into smarter children than those who do not hear the classics early on in life” (Weiss 144). While there are those who can be lax about their children’s academic performance, a lot of parents make it a point to focus on how their children are doing in school. They attend all parent meetings or activities, help with assignments, and make schedules for their children to follow.

            Wanting students to do good in school is essential, as it can show them that what they do in school and how they do it matters. This is especially helpful to those who may seem to have difficulties coping in the academic environment. It can boost their confidence and help them succeed greatly. It can make them do and become anything they want to be without anyone or anything trying to limit them.

            However, giving too much attention is not always positive. When parents or school officials try to pressure them to do their best, the students may feel too fed up and tired. Instead of feeling motivated, they might do the opposite including not going to school, not paying attention in class, not doing their homeworks or projects, not participating in any extra curricular activities, and ultimately withdraw from everybody. The gravest thing that can happen when they feel too pressured from their school life is to commit suicide. “Regardless of the intelligence level of the student, academic pressure is a significant cause of suicidal behavior” (qtd. in Miller 173).

            Pressuring students, no matter how young or old they may be, does not only affect their academic performance but also their mental, emotional, and physical healths. To make up for what they are experiencing, some of them may resort to food. They may either feel too pressured that they start to eat anything without thinking or starve themselves since they do not know how to deal with the stress. As a result, their health would suffer. They may also feel depressed when they do not meet the expectations of those around them. They would feel worthless and would have relatively low self-esteem.

            While some students may resort to withdrawal, others would demonstrate aggressive behavior, anger, and rebellion. This usually happens when there is little communication between the parents and the children. Students would have a hard time understanding why they have to constantly do better in school when they know they are doing they best already. They would not understand why their parents compare them to the neighbor’s own children who are performing much better in school than them. More importantly, they would not understand it when parents try to live the lives they wished they had through their kids. “Other children are the victims of conditions brought about by adults through their inability to cope with their own lives, to moderate their own behavior or to understand a child’s viewpoint” (David 93).

            For the most part, there is nothing wrong with trying to make a student do his or her best in school. It is a way of motivation and it shows that parents care what their children do in and out of the house. However, the line between encouraging and pressuring should be clearly distinguished by parents and academic bodies. Encouragement increases a person’s confidence and willingness in the things that he or she does. Parents who encourage their children when it comes to their academic life do not have high expectations.

They accept what their children can or can not do and they help them overcome their weaknesses. “Parental support and encouragement are the most important influences in the development of students’ aspirations” (qtd. in Gumport 65). On the contrary, pressuring students may seem like the best way to get them to school and become successful but it will only lead to negative effects as stated earlier. Some might find this successful but more often than not, students who are pressured fail in all aspects.

            Studying and doing good in school is, without a doubt, the most important thing that children and young adults have to do. If they do not do this, the whole point of going to school is lost. Doing good in school is a must for the majority because it is their only hope in becoming successful in life. This is why they do not need the pressure that they get from their parents, society, and school. Pressuring them only makes the situation worse. What they need is constant support and reminder that whatever happens, they are still loved and worthy of what they have and who they are. Communication is essential between parents and students so that both parties would know their limitations and expectations.

Works Cited

David, Tricia. Young Children Learning. California: Sage, 1999.

Gumport, Patricia J. Sociology of Higher Education: Contributions and Their Contexts. Maryland: The John Hopkins University Press, 2007.

Miller, Paul C. Narratives from the Classroom: An Introduction to Teaching. California: Sage,   2005.

Weiss, Robin E. The Everything Mother’s First Year Book: A Survival Guide for the First 12      Months of Being Mom. Massachusetts: Adams Media, 2005.