chool comes an increase in responsibilities, an increase in stress, and most visibly, an increase in School Loop emails. While School Loop does provide a convenient way to stay updated on grades and assignments, many see this website as a source of anxiety and a proponent of grade obsession.
A “School Loop obsession” is defined by how frequently one checks the site. Senior Matt Chinn explains, “I think that it’s necessary to check School Loop at least once a day just to make sure your grades are in check, but it becomes completely arbitrary and unnecessary when you start to check more than three times a day, or even every 30 minutes.”
Freshman Henrik Rogers explains, “Some kids are already checking School Loop every hour to see what grade they got on a certain project or test.”
Aside from being unnecessary, excessively searching for grade updates is often unrewarding. Chinn concludes, “Realistically speaking, teachers aren’t going to drastically change grades every hour, as we don’t have that many assignments.”
To resolve this obsession, senior Benjamin Goya believes there is a fairly simple solution. He says, “Checking School Loop should be limited to once a week since this obsession can stress students out really badly.”
Initially, the School Loop obsessions seemed to result from simply wanting to stay informed on one’s academic performance. Chinn says, “There is nothing more suspenseful than the uncertainty of your grade after a big test or project, and it’s also important to stay updated so you know how exactly you are faring in the class.” This seems logical and beneficial, but to what extent?
For some Aragon students, School Loop serves as a constant source of stress. Chinn explains, “In my opinion, there isn’t really a difference between a 95.5 and a 95.3 percent, but once you become School Loop obsessed, you become angry with those discrepancies. I have fallen into that trap before, and it isn’t comforting at all to be able to notice those giant grade drops.”
‘In many cases, teachers understand the stresses of fluctuating grades. Aragon teacher Behrooz Sharvini explains, “Different numbers mean different things at different times. Don’t worry about it if you have one bad score, or if at the beginning your score is low. Look at the trend to see what’s happening.”
Adding to the irritation of a lower grade is parental scrutiny. As Chinn explains, “My parents are constantly on School Loop, always on the lookout for grade drops and new assignments.” Although parental observation could keep students accountable for their assignments, it may also being overbearing or unsympathetic.
Another issue with parental oversight comes when parents do not understand individual teacher’s policies. According to senior Nathan Machak, “Sometimes there will be zeros over the entire year, and [my mom will] be like ‘oh fix it’ but some teachers won’t just let you fix it.”
Despite all of the stress that School Loop puts on students, many believe that it does hold benefits. “School Loop is really useful because it does give students a sense of how they are doing,” says Goya.
When checked in moderation, School Loop provides students with a way of evaluating their own academic performance, taking out the anxiety or anticipation of an uncertain report card. As a parent and teacher, Mr. Sharvini agrees, “It’s a tool. It’s a good thing for parents to keep up and help their kids, so I see it as a positive.”
Chinn finishes, “If School Loop didn’t exist, things would definitely be more stressful.”
