Grades aren’t like the stock market.
They shouldn’t be tracked in real time, analyzed like fluctuations in the NASDAQ composite or cause havoc when they dip by 0.2%. Yet platforms such as Canvas have turned academic performance into a 24/7 surveillance mechanism. While some argue that this helps students stay accountable, it infantilizes students, compromising mental health and creates a generation of high-achieving burnouts.
Real-time grade access, sold as a tool for “parental involvement,” blurs the line between encouragement and control. While some argue it helps students stay accountable, it feeds into an obsessive culture of micromanagement, both from students and parents. Students, in particular, are becoming less focused on the process of learning and more fixated on the fear of disappointing someone.
Additionally, according to a study by Scientific Reports, increased stress leads to heightened levels of dishonesty and cheating amongst students. Stress, in general, is frequently attributed to external pressures, particularly from parents who may impose high expectations or have extremely demanding expectations toward academic success.
“My parents are a little old-school [and] they’re immigrants, so they think … the teacher won’t allow any mistakes,” said senior Medha Rakesh. “They assume the school system is rigid.”
This experience isn’t uncommon. Many students report feeling as though their academic lives are under constant scrutiny, where there’s no room for mistakes, growth or simply how exhausting the end of the day can be. The moment a grade drops, it isn’t a personal concern, but a family issue.
This constant oversight doesn’t just hurt students academically — it affects their sense of independence.
“[At first] my grades were a little chopped, but [my parents] were like, ‘[They’re] never going to go up,’” Rakesh said. “It’s like, ‘Bro you need to stop pestering me about it.’”
For many, academic performance is not just a reflection of ability, but of one’s character and discipline.
“Parents assume that if you work hard and study a lot, it’ll be fine, which is true,” Rakesh said. “But sometimes a teacher sucks, or the environment does. They can’t actually see how you’re doing in school … There are other factors … for grades.”
But Canvas doesn’t leave room for benefit of the doubt. Parents and their devices constantly remind students of their shortcomings. The numbers are always there.
“Trust is letting go of control,” said sophomore Aidan Wong. “Parents should have trust in their students’ academic abilities … their honesty and responsibility.”
This results in emotional fatigue that comes with students constantly being monitored, especially when students already face pressure from honors, Advanced Placement courses and standardized testing. According to a 2020 study in the Journal of Adolescence, excessive parental pressure contributed significantly to anxiety, burnout and academic dishonesty. Constant evaluation leaves little room for failure, yet failure is where learning happens.
“[Parental interference is] honestly the opposite of motivating,” Rakesh said. “I can take care of myself. It seems helpful, but it makes you want to do [the opposite] of what your parents tell you … teenagers are rebellious.”
Although parents get real-time updates through Canvas, these grade updates don’t show everything that accounts for a student’s grade. It doesn’t show when a student is dealing with personal struggles, when a teacher’s grading is inconsistent or growth and effort. These notifications and constant surveillance promote a data-driven reaction rather than a human conversation, which harms students and the learning process.
