OPINION: Genesis is not everything

For many students, Genesis has become a part of their daily routine—a website invoking worry as you click on the gradebook tab. The ever-lasting shadow of Genesis looming over every student’s head is one of students’ biggest fears.

Genesis has been locked from being viewed while final grades and progress reports are being put in, leaving many students flustered. The valuable reason for this, though, is to make the process of grades being transferred into Genesis easier for teachers, according to the Guidance Department.

“Look at the big picture,” Guidance Counselor Rachel Ciottariello said. “A grade entry does not define you as a student or as a person.”

The school needs to come up with a better system for receiving grades because the process now is not working nor is it healthy for students. The removal of gradebook from Genesis only heightens the fear.

Teachers should give you the grades in person before they appear on Genesis, which I think is helpful because you don’t have to see your grade online without any information to back it up.

Some students don’t worry over just getting bad grades, but about their parents that are looking at their grades as well.

“Every day during last period I check Genesis just so I can prepare to hear it from my mother,” senior Patrick Reilly said.

Many students have the pressure of doing well for either their own sake or to help satisfy their parents. This has caused students to become overwhelmed towards the end of a marking period.

“Genesis is always stressing me out because I never know when grades are going to be put in or how they will affect my overall grade,” senior Emma Bossaert said.

While some students feel very strongly about routinely checking Genesis, others choose not to care. Not caring relieves pressure and helps students in general.

“I do not get stressed because I am confident in my grade,” senior Justin Cruz said. “I can understand why it can get be nerve-wracking, however, if you are pressured to have exceptional grades.”

Keeping the amount of pressure that you place on yourself low will help you perform better, but that doesn’t mean to give up on getting good grades either.

“While checking Genesis can be a stressful trigger, Genesis is not necessarily the issue of concern,” Ms. Ciottariello said. “Learning to manage stress and anxiety in general is the important life skill that will help students while checking their grades and in life.”

Hopefully students will begin to realize that Genesis is not the end all be all of their lives. Try to suggest to your teacher to give you the grade you got on a test or homework assignment to you before it is placed on Genesis, therefore limiting the amount of worry that comes with checking grades. It is hard to lead a happy and positive life while being stressed from school and grades 24/7.