Glance around a classroom and you’re sure to find a common sight: heads bent over for a quick nap, a fleeting glance to examine a text, and bodies slouched in indifference. With more and more students not placing academics as an important aspect of their lives in favor of more enjoyable hobbies, education standards have gone down significantly.

“There are kids who just don’t care about their grades and refuse to do class work,” said senior Callie Duty. “I don’t think you need to cut out all hobbies, sports and clubs, but there definitely needs to be more emphasis and focus on academics. However, it’s a challenge to reach the ideal environment of a balance between grades and hobbies. If we can get kids to put more effort into learning by initiating a desire for knowledge, just like how kids are eager to practice sports or other activities, that would be a great help.”

Students’ direct environment, the school itself, could have a larger impact on students’ views of academics. In need of an incentive, students could benefit from direct encouragement from the school- a component that some believe is currently missing.

“What motivates me the most would be my family, especially my mom. I also have a lot of self-motivation since there is so much competition at school. Thinking about colleges keeps me focused on my academic success, since schools like UT are lowering automatic acceptance rates, and the cost of college isn’t getting more affordable either,” said junior Kiri Khin.“At school, I don’t feel any specific encouragement to maintain good grades other than from supportive teachers. KHS does offer academic clubs like HOSA, math club, and decathlon, but in the end they’re still optional activities,”

“I feel that if there was a grade requirement or teacher recommendation to get into clubs, that could help raise grades,” said junior Emma Baker.

Some simple amendments could lead to a more efficient use of students’ valuable class time.

“I’ve noticed that we don’t get our tests back in many of our classes,” said sophomore Jennifer Cheng. “I think it is an important aspect that needs to be changed because I often learn from my previous mistakes. An overly lax attitude towards education in many students’ lives definitely has a negative impact as well, and it is something we need to give more attention to.”