Teachers play a huge part in our society. They inspire, guide, and help our today’s children be tomorrow’s leaders. They play a huge role in building and getting students ready for the real world. They shape us into the people we are today and the individuals we are going to become in the future and sadly don’t get enough recognition for that. 

Teachers expand and push the idea of truly learning, which comes with the way they grade things. “I won’t always be around in a student’s life to tell them what’s important or what’s going to be on a test,” social studies teacher Neil McCarthy said “But if I can help them become more independent and self-sustaining in their ability to find the right answers they need to a wide variety of questions then I think they’ll be better equipped to handle whatever questions arise for them in any aspect of their lives.” 

At Eaglecrest, teachers make sure that students know how to use their resources and put in the required amount of effort into getting the grades they desire. Being a role model to today’s students and demonstrating self-sufficiency and pushing students to develop this skill is something every single student needs to learn in their lives at some point in order to be successful in the real world. 

In reality, your high school teachers will not be there holding your hand when you are in your 20s telling you what to do, so being tough to think for yourself and learning to be independent is very important for the future. 

Grades and the way teachers grade has changed drastically over the years. There was the traditional points system, and there had been the standard-based grading system and many other ways. In every grading system, a teacher has used, it has either been an advantage or a disadvantage to the students’ learning. At Eaglecrest, most science teachers use the standard-based grading system — this grade is used to push students to truly master the material and give true quality work to earn credit. 

“Standards based grading helps all students because everyone has equitable opportunities to learn at their specific pace. Some students learn faster than others. Some need more time for one skill than another,” science teacher Maureen Elliott said. At EHS, teachers value the growth mindset and taking advantage of the amazing opportunities they are given to make the best out of their time in that class. 

When students get approached with this kind of grading and start failing, they shortly realize that they have to improve their understanding in order to pass that class. This kind of standards-based grading approach has shown growth in some aspects; it pushes students to master the information they are given.

“I’m not sure what my ‘strategy’ would be called but I try to teach towards my students and make sure they are engaged and understanding. Sometimes that requires repetition, other times it requires personal conversations or help outside of class,” Math teacher Jackie Hampton said. Repetition is key to successful learning. 

So is getting help outside of classroom room time if it is necessary, teachers do their best with availability times after class and dedicate that time to ensure that every student is aware of the resources that they have. Hampton said, “I think the main thing to be successful in any class (SBG, traditional, or another) is just to put your best effort in and communicate. Teachers want to help, but we also don’t want to be doing all of the work (or the only one doing any work).” 

Some students might take that help time to their advantage and make the teachers do all the work for that student. Teachers will try their best to help but you would need to have the commitment and determination to do the required work when teachers are taking time out of their day to help you and make sure that you are successful in their class.

“I always try to do everything to the best of my ability, but I’m not a perfect human and I think it’s important for both myself and my students to know that because I feel that it relieves some of the pressure that surrounds schools and academic environments and this notion that it’s not okay to make mistakes,” McCarthy said. 

At EHS, teachers’ ultimate goal is for students to understand why they made their mistakes and be able to bounce back. Situations like this give teachers the opportunity to help their students reflect and improve. 

“Learning is an individual experience that needs to be honored and supported.  At EHS we significantly value the growth mindset. We want students to have every opportunity to achieve by taking responsibility for their learning,” science teacher Maureen Elliott said. At EHS, every student’s learning is valued and is prioritized. Teachers try their absolute hardest to give every single student the opportunity and tools to be successful.