Sometimes, enough is enough– especially from parents.

Various students at Hershey High School feel an exorbitant amount of pressure put on them from their parents about school work. From the tests, quizzes, homework assignments, etc., students say their parents just don’t get it. They believe that their parents are putting too much strain on their brains.

Karis Gould, a sophomore at HHS, said that parents make school even more stressful than it already is. She said that school is already aggravating enough, and her parents are continuously hounding her about her school work, which worsens her stress. She said that they are constantly on her case about making sure to gets assignments done and they especially emphasize the importance of having good grades.

The idea of getting good grades is one thing that Gould’s parents enforce daily. Gould believes her parents do this because they know she is capable of achieving high grades, but more importantly, they want to help her get into a good college. Gould said she likes the pressure because it pushes her, but sometimes it is taken too far and she breaks down.  

“I am thankful everyday for how much they care, but they can only push me so far before I can’t take it anymore,” Gould said.

Gould said that it is unfortunate how often her parents check if she receives an A on a test. They have access through the student Home Access Center(HAC) website which allows for students and parents to track their child’s grades. She said that by her parents having access to HAC, it puts even more pressure on her because she knows her parents  can always see when she obtains a bad grade.

Gould emphasized the point that she is happy her parents are super involved, but Chris Cronin, sophomore at HHS, disagrees with Gould. He thinks that his parents need to trust him more and put less pressure on him. Gould and Cronin may share different views, but they mutually agree that parents need to focus more on the learning and less on the grade.

While Cronin and Gould’s main source of pressure comes from their parents, HHS sophomore Declan Donahue has a different source of pressure. He said that school itself is what makes him the most stressed. Donahue explained that the stress of assignments and tests themselves are what drives him to do well versus the thought of what his family may enforce on him.

Although his family enforces good grades, Donahue gets the drive from himself. He said that he likes to self motivate himself because it’s more meaningful if the motivation comes from him and not from somebody else. He decides when he wants to do his homework and how hard he wants to study.

“It is nice having the freedom I have at home about school work,” said Donahue, “I wouldn’t like it if I had someone constantly on me about my grades.”

On the other hand, Donahue said that is is very important to get good grades in his household, but it is up to him to get the job done. He said that his mom checks his Home Access Center once at the end of each marking period because she has the trust in him that he is doing well in school.

Although it is different than what Gould and Cronin’s parents do, Donahue likes this approach because he feels that it will help him prepare for the future. He said that since he pushes himself on his own now, it won’t be a huge change when he goes to college.

“No matter how your parents are raising you, I’m sure they are doing what is best for you,” Donahue said.