How Do You Match Up to Your Peers?

Despite operating online, OHS is no stranger to the competitive academic environment that pervades many high schools.

If you ever question if you measure up with our peers of if you’re meeting OHS’s academic standard, you are not alone. On top of that, it is more difficult to assess others’ performance when Skype is the primary means of communication among students.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, many OHS students tend to perceive others to be doing better than themselves even when it is often not the case. Within OHS’s self-motivated student population, it may be natural to assume that others are doing well. It might seem as if you are the only one who did poorly on a certain assignment or struggled with a certain topic, especially since the online medium quite successfully masks signs of stress. And, problematically, sharing scores can be an easy way to relieve academic insecurity, to reassure ourselves that our performance is up to par.

Our interactions, particularly in a digital environment, don't necessarily reflect reality, where you are not assessed by your score on a midterm or an AP exam. The fact that these types of assessments are the kinds of things we seek validation for reflects a poor standard created by a culture focused on numerical scores. I'm concerned that constantly seeking validation for our academic efforts shifts our focus away from learning and drawing inspiration from the OHS community.

As we approach the new semester, I believe that it will be crucial to remember that your academic performance on an objective, relative scale does not determine whether you belong in OHS’s academic environment. Set your own individual plans and goals for each class depending on your needs, and take inspiration from those who are enthusiastic about a class or a topic within a certain class. I would argue that being fully present in the classroom—and engaging with topics in and outside of class—should guide your OHS academic experience.

With the onset of the new decade, it’s also a good time to remind yourself that you’re probably doing better than you think you are. I ask you to take some time to think about the ideas or discussion topics that particularly interest you and bring that enthusiasm to your communities, within or outside OHS.

Promoting a culture of learning isn't just OHS's job; it's ours.