Ms. Kara Cleffi presents to Fifth Form Biology* students – Connor Simpkins ’25
Many say the Fifth Form is the most academically rigorous period of academic work Haverford students face. College applications take a concrete form, and grades seem to matter more. This pressure grows more intense in honors-level courses. These courses tend to attract extremely motivated students who hyper-focus on performance.
Unfortunately, this desire to perform may come at the expense of genuine interest in the material. This problem, while not isolated to Fifth Formers, is heightened by the added stress of college admissions and creates an environment where students may feel they need to prioritize their grade over their understanding.
Teachers have expressed concern about the lack of student passion for the curriculum. Both Haverford’s Honors Biology teachers, Ms. Kara Cleffi and Ms. Tashia Lewis, agree that this is a problem. Ms. Cleffi believes that students are always going to be worried about their grade. As a result, the biology teachers have introduced more practical applications to the learning experience.
“It is one thing to learn how a cellular process works, but it is better if we can do something with that knowledge,” Ms. Cleffi said.
Biology teachers also try to include material that is not related to the assessments, but instead is graded individually on engagement and effort.
“[Biology] uses current research projects, where students are required to connect what they are learning in the curriculum to modern issues,” Ms. Cleffi said.
Assignments like these have proven effective for the science department and many students feel engaged. Fifth Former Phineas Manogue started the class with an interest in Biology, which helped support his enjoyment of the course.
“Biology works for me because it is extremely objective,” Manogue said. “When I lose a point, I understand why.”
Honors Biology is one of the two most-enrolled honors-level courses for Fifth Formers. The other is Honors United States History.
Honors United States History is widely regarded as one of the school’s most challenging courses. The class moves extremely, covering essentially all of American history in thirty-two weeks.
Students are held to a much higher standard, and the average grade reflects this. According to U.S. History Teachers Ms. Hannah Turlish and Mr. Timothy Lengel, the average grade in all sections of Honors United States History classes is a B+.
While most students would be satisfied with that grade, it causes stress for the driven students who tend to make up the class. Additionally, unlike Honors Biology, which has an extremely quantitative approach to testing, Honors United States History grades arguments and essays.
“When I went on college tours, I heard that they strongly recommend four years of history, so I feel like I must take [a history class].”
Phineas Manogue ’25
The inherent subjectivity of the testing, coupled with the challenging nature of the course and the pressures of the Fifth Form year have led some students to feel frustrated. Furthermore, the incredibly fast nature of the class leads some students to feel that they are no longer able to enjoy the subject.
Manogue said that while he has never been a history aficionado, Honors United States History has “made him never want to take a history class again.”
Still, Manogue feels the need to take a history course next year to have a strong college application.
“When I went on college tours, I heard that they strongly recommend four years of history, so I feel like I must take [a history class],” Manogue said.
Enrollment in a history course next year has cost Manogue the ability to take computer science, a class he was extremely excited about.
Unfortunately, this problem does not have a straightforward solution. Every year it gets harder to be admitted to a top university, and students are feeling more pressure from the adults in their lives to perform academically.
One solution would be to reduce some of the pressure of grades, so students can return to learning without having to worry about the grade attached.
This problem extends beyond the students to the teachers. Teachers try to balance teaching the entire curriculum with fostering student interest. Additionally, the focus on grades may have led to student-teacher relationships becoming even more transactional.
Teachers expressed that their least favorite part of their job is dealing with students begging to improve their grade. Still, it is not the students fault when they feel inadequate if they do not receive an A.
One solution would be to reduce some of the pressure of grades, so students can return to learning without having to worry about the grade attached. Unfortunately this is impossible. Instead it is far more likely that teachers will have to continue to adapt part of the curriculum to ignite interest in the students and students must attempt to engage in the class once again.
