The Sophomore Slump
“Sophomore slump can be challenging to overcome, especially when you don’t have support. Each grade has its unique set of problems. There’s a long road ahead of you when you’re in 10th but don’t let that discourage you from putting in the effort.”
A few weeks back, during the design competition, Kristine and I were surfing the web for some Ted Talk ideas but still couldn’t find anything. We decided to do high school in a nutshell, since we’re in our final year of high school and just happened to be reminiscing about our overall high school experience.
While we were discussing our newly formed topic of high school in a nutshell, we decided to rank each year of our high school experience going from worst to best. No surprise, 10th grade was highest on both of our lists. It was the worst. Mr. C gave us a puzzled look; he expected 11th grade to be the first on our list. Then to get more out of us, he asked why. We shot nervous glances at each other, not knowing whether to sugarcoat our 10th grade experience, or just spit out the truth. ‘DING DING DING’, we were saved by the bell—we quickly dismissed his question and ran off.
As we headed to lunch, Mr. C's question felt like an alarm that never stopped, just constantly ringing in our heads—why did we feel so strongly about 10th grade? I mean, we always say it’s bad, but what made it so bad? Was it the students? The teachers? The workload? The entire lunch period we pondered over that very question. We even went as far as to ask our friends to rate their high school years, wanting to see if maybe it was personal to us, not universal. But everyone told us that was 10th grade high on their list, and that they felt the same way we did. We came to the conclusion that sophomore year sucks.
So, why bother talking about this when we can write about it instead? Since we were once 10th graders ourselves, we understood why it felt like hell during 10th grade. In order to answer these questions, we sought out the opinions of the 10th teachers and advisors, the ones who’ve seen it all, the good and the bad:
Ms. Rebitzer, ELA Teacher.
Mr. Chambers, AP CSP
Ms. Bute, the Advisor for Kids Next Door
TK, US History Teacher
Ms. Haught, Biology Teacher.
We began with the question,what trends have you noticed in your 10th grade students? Are there any trends that seem to affect large groups of students positively or negatively?
Ms.Bute said that she has noticed “regression in behavior, kids opting out, choosing social interactions over academics." While Ms. Rebitzer added that “lack of care for each other is common in all tenth graders, as is struggling to turn in homework.” She said it is “Hard to find a line between honors and regular English classes.” Mr. Chambers pointed out a “Lack of urgency,” and kids who “always expect an extension.” TK said that “You either get students who are really on top of it or some who are in between who don’t know how to be fully independent yet but they are working towards it.” Finally, Ms. Haught added: “One trend in the tenth grade is a lack of consistency with attendance because there’s usually no follow up. There’s also never an urgency or a worry of missing something that might be helpful. 10th graders tend to lack self-awareness, like I also teach a section of 11th graders and their ability to self-regulate or bring it back is way better.”
While we were reviewing these quotes, we realized that in some ways the experience of these 10th graders reflected our own experiences as 10th graders as well. Commonly faced with two sides of the same coin. A pile of kids who didn’t think 10th grade mattered so much, and kids who believed that every move mattered. This really proved a universal experience of sophomore year that is not only seen by us students but teachers as well.
By understanding the challenges of 10th grade students, we could gain insight into how the transition from 9th grade to 10th grade affected them. It was very important for us to explore how 10th graders usually handle that transition because the shift in workload is very demanding. So we introduced the next question: Talk about the transition from 9th grade to 10th grade? How do most 10th graders handle the workload compared to 9th grade?
Ms.Rebitzer said: “There aren’t levels of classes in 9th grade, as everyone is in the same class. Additionally 9th grade teachers make it really easy to get adjusted to high school. 9th grade tends to be lots of hand holding. We haven’t really found a good way to transition from the 3rd trimester of 9th grade to the 1st trimester of 10th. We also noticed that confidence in 9th grade can potentially cause students to apply for more academically challenging classes in 10th grade and that confidence can ultimately backfire on new incoming 10th graders.”
What Ms.Rebitzer said made us reflect on our own past experiences. Even though we had our doubts about taking AP/Honor classes in 10th grade, we had a strong year in 9th, with high GPA’s and good balance of home and school life. Showcasing that we were able to handle the transition into high school really well, all we had to do was keep up the same energy. Almost believing we were unstoppable and that as long as we stay on top of things just like we did in 9th, 10th grade would be light work, no reaction, but we later realized that 10th had a little kick. Our realization made us further think about 10th grade as a whole.
We noticed that among all the 10th grade teachers, that 10th grade year wasn’t just hard for this year’s 10th graders, but 10th grade has been a continuous year of struggle. We asked the question: According to our observations, we have noticed that compared to the school’s previous 10th grade years there has an upward trend of horrible grades in 10th grade? Why do you think that is?
Ms. Rebitzer said that it is “not necessarily different from 10th graders last year. Tenth grade has consistently lower data than other grades no matter the year.” Mr. Chambers added that “Every year teachers say that the 10th grade year is the most difficult year because of the amount of tests they have to take.” And Ms. Haught shared: “Every year 10th graders have the highest fail rate and that’s because they go from a year where there aren’t nearly any regents, where they’re not working towards anything that will scare some sense into them, to a year where they are working towards regents for 3 classes.”
Most of the teachers mentioned the struggle of having regents to prepare for at the end of the 10th grade school year. In order to achieve this, the 10th grade team meets to attempt to figure out a balance of supporting the transition from 10th to 11th while also figuring out a way of teaching them responsibility.
Ms. Bute, a tenth grader advisor, had added another perspective when taking account of the transition. She took into consideration how the kids might’ve been taught growing up. She mentioned that this current group of 10th graders missed out on crucial years of socialization during 5th and 6th grade. On top of that, they also missed out on very basic yet vital academic information like learning how to add fractions, how to do long division, and other similar things that play a bigger role later on.
One thing we noticed is that, in order to make a smooth transition from 9th to 10th grade, both 9th grade and 10th grade teachers need to be on the same page. If certain routines and habits are put in place during 9th grade, 10th grade won’t hit as hard. Study habits should be a priority early on, especially since 10th grade comes with a ton of tests and heavier workload. If a sense of urgency is placed on a kid at a younger age, students will start to understand the importance of meeting deadlines and develop an important skill of managing their own time.
While surfing the media and news outlets, we repeatedly came across the term “sophomore slump”.
High school is often compared to a long tunnel and 10th grade feels like being in the middle of the long tunnel not knowing if you could survive another 2 years of the same routine. Some students choose to retreat and drop out of highschool while others push forward.
To get a better understanding of why the tenth grade experience is so bad overall, we analyzed the trends shown. According to an anonymous person on the website Expert Bacon: “The first year of high school is usually an exciting time. Freshmen are busy settling into new surroundings, meeting new teachers, establishing new routines, mastering new academic subjects and making new friends.”
It goes on:
“For some students, the sophomore slump is simple exhaustion from your transition to a new school. While the excitement of freshman year was enough to keep you moving forward initially, by sophomore year you’re just plain tired of socializing and forging new relationships with so many teachers and peers, in addition to keeping up with all your other commitments. Put simply, you’re tired.”
As a result, this person shared:
“More than half the students who drop out leave by the tenth grade, 20% quit by the eighth grade. 10th graders represent 16% of overall high school enrollment yet account for 36% of student dropouts.”
This research highlights the struggles of sophomore year and the kinds of things students might go through during that time. What we found interesting is that the points expressed by 10th grade Comp Sci High teachers were shown in some of the research. Both students and teachers would benefit from this information, teachers can adjust the way they approach teaching to provide a more productive and supportive learning environment. While students can use this to identify areas of improvement and put into action a sense of responsibility they’ll need now and in the future. Understanding these trends can also empower a sophomore to advocate for changes that will enhance their academic growth.
This can be used for the 10th grade team to reflect on better strategies they could use to effectively boost the grades of sophomores and encourage them to not stray away from school.
Sophomore slump can be challenging to overcome, especially when you don’t have support. Each grade has its unique set of problems. There’s a long road ahead of you when you’re in 10th but don’t let that discourage you from putting in the effort. Remember that grades don’t define you, so don’t let it consume you. Fortunately at Comp Sci High, much support is available, so if you're falling behind in your classes don’t be afraid to ask for help or reach out!
Reach out to us for any further questions!
kristine.stackhouse25@compscihigh.org & denisse.gonzalez25@compscihigh.org