“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”
This popularized verse from Edward Hickson’s “Moral Song” can be a wonderful homage to some of Shorewood’s forgiving grading policies. However, for upperclassmen, many reflect on this line in silent remembrance.
Lack of a sleep schedule, rigorous pacing, and the occasional period of burnout are all common factors in the day-to-day life of a Shorewood upperclassman.
But as juniors and seniors prepared themselves for the difficulties of their year – for the triumphs and teardowns, the most rigorous courses and the least forgiving subjects – an unwelcome surprise fell at their feet: the physics department’s strict retake policy.
In Shorewood’s physics courses, students’ grades are dependent on two main factors: weekly quizzes on the course material and the Physics Olympics. The Olympics are a series of engineering-focused competitions that apply the class material to a hands-on approach to the science, creating educational rivalry and innovative designs.
With no difficult test or exam until the end of the year, the quizzes may seem like a breeze, and the Olympics a lighthearted endeavor, but these activities come with a single catch: no retakes.
To add to the matter, no student placing below third place in the Olympics can earn full credit, even if their projects exceed the standard.
One test, one wrong constructive decision, and your grades crumble at your feet, and amidst the despair, you remember you’ve condemned yourself to a C- average, with no reprieve.
For many of our successful STEM-brained students, this seems like no issue. But upon a glance at Shorewood’s assorted thinkers, students’ struggles remain clear. Because of these harsh policies, they dig a hole for their G.P.A. too deep to emerge from.
At Shorewood, we value diversity and learning of all styles, but it seems that in translation, these retake policies stand for these morals on thin ice.
It is very clear that Shorewood’s teachers have good intentions and wish the best for their students, but it must be recognized that individuals’ success varies by subject. We must ask ourselves: Do students’ lack of ability to revise and learn from their mistakes provide any benefit for their futures in the course?
With the already complex variety of courses offered in junior and senior year, each class requires utmost dedication, leaving students struggling beneath the surface of their ocean of a course load.
For the upperclassmen of Shorewood physics, look out and study hard; it seems an A is a long journey away.
And for the coming months, for all those affected by these policies, wonder: is the lack of retakes giving you a chance to improve on future endeavors, or instead haunting you with the academic frights of the past?
