Now that the end of the semester is so close, students nervously check their grades and dread finals week. For Freshman, it’s safe to say that the top two failed courses are freshman success and biology with earth systems. Freshman success is a class full of assignments that need to be turned in daily, if those assignments aren’t turned in its easy for grades to drop. As for biology, the issue lays below the surface, is it the teacher? Is it the curriculum? Or is it the students themselves?

While digging deeper to find out the answers to these questions, I talked to Biology teacher Mr. Kent. Asking him why he thinks freshman have so many struggles with the course, his response- “I’ll say in a way, there’s less hand holding, going from 8th grade into high school… there’s more responsibility put on them.”  From Mr. Kent’s point of view, the subject matter isn’t the problem, it’s students not putting in the study time they need to and not putting enough effort into understanding the material.
Student’s seem to have a different perspective on the topic, a freshman who has asked to remain anonymous claims, “Teachers don’t take enough time and do what they could to make sure students aren’t confused. They wait for students to ask questions, and the teachers themselves don’t ask how we are doing in class.”

The point of view from teachers to student appear to be polar opposite, teachers wishing more of the students and students asking more from their teachers. There is something that needs to be communicated through teachers and their classes, maybe that should include an open conversation for anyone to ask questions on the subject material. Students shouldn’t feel ashamed to ask the teacher for help, and teachers shouldn’t be expected to read their minds. Through semester two students should speak up for themselves, because as we’ve learned -if you’re struggling, there’s usually someone else who is too.- Students wish from their teachers: listen to what is being asked, explain the material in depth if that’s what’s needed, and don’t expect students to understand things the first time.