By Jack Macias ’14
THE ROUNDUP
With so much stress placed on both academics and sports, it is not too uncommon for student-athletes to be faced with a choice: their sport or their schoolwork.
I faced this choice playing JV football this year. Despite my best intentions and even diligent work, sometimes there was just too much school work and not enough hours in the day.
A student who receives two Ds or one F at any formal grading checkpoint has to forego sports or extra-circular activities for at least one full week in order to bring up their grade.
Unfortunately, football is not the only sport or extra-curricular activity that is affected by academic probation.
Having to balance studying, homework and social life is hard enough for a teenager; putting sports into the mix can sometimes push a student to the realm of virtually no sleep.
With all the “teenage angst” that all of us are faced with, we must remind ourselves everyday that the reason we came to this school was for the Jesuit education.
The famous old proverb “you can’t take away my education” must hold true in the lives of athletes, or anyone who faces stress from the extra-curricular activities.
If there is a project or assignment that is due the following day (like so many of us have), it would be acceptable to take the practice off assuming the student did not put the project off to the last minute. Nothing is more important than an education.
Many times, some of our peers choose to completely rush the assignment, or not do it altogether. If this happens enough and the student’s grade drops to an F or two Ds, he is ineligible to participate in that sport.
No student should ever earn academic probation. Although some assignments might seem impossible at the given time, no teacher will ever assign an impossible assignment.
Academic probation is a lack of competence and planning on the student’s side. Yes, having a full schedule will result in some late nights and early mornings, but nothing is more important than good grades.
Along with hindering the ability to be great, it is hurting that team or activity by not being there based on having to focus on grades solely because of ones inability to plan.
On the other side of the argument, every single assignment should not be a free pass to skip practice, especially if the crunch is due to the student’s mismanagement of time.
If you someone is good at planning, there should be a considerable amount of time from the end of the school day to the time you usually go to bed.
A major factor in keeping grades up when you are playing extra-curricular activities is not procrastinating to the very last minute with any given assignment.
If a considerable amount of time each night on project or very long assignments, and it is done in a regimented fashion, there will be no need to spend five hours on one assignment and pull an all-nighter after practice, it can’t be done.
