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Personal Narrative: Students At Rockhurst High School

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“Glory Be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.” Students at Rockhurst High School know this prayer far too well. The “Glory Be” signals the end of another school day. From 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, 1,000 teenage boys are cooped up inside the walls of Rockhurst. Yet, as Mr. Darby’s voice fades from the intercom each afternoon, they reach freedom. Students rush out of the many different exits around the building, running to their cars in hopes of beating the afternoon parking lot traffic. They are ready to unwind, just relax a little bit. However, many students at Rockhurst experience the opposite of that. Home is not a place for relaxation and downtime; …show more content…

After a long day of school, listening to teachers go on and on about an “important subject”, I just want to be able to relax, hang out with some friends, or spend some time in my hammock. Yet, I open up the myHomework app on my iPad, only to find that night’s homework on display for me. I cry a little inside, take a deep breath, and get to work. Rockhurst High School. Fun. Enjoyable. Awesome. Sports. Spiritual. Brotherhood. Challenging. Stressful. Reflective. Satisfying. Loving. My favorite place. These adjectives are the first words that come to mind when I think of Rockhurst High School. As a junior, I have had plenty of time to know and love the school. When I was in grade school, I was skeptical that RHS would be the right fit for me. However, I wanted to be challenged in high school. I did not want to fly through it, and Rockhurst has given me that challenge. It has challenged me academically, spiritually, and emotionally. Yet, is it too much of a challenge? Does Rockhurst expect too much from its students, primarily academically? …show more content…

However, active learning goes past the 3:00 bell. Not only are students exhausted and tired after a long day, they do not want to have to worry about hours of homework at home. There is no arguing that Rockhurst is academically rigorous.. Yet, there is a difference between being rigorous and being overbearing. There is a serious workload problem at Rockhurst. RHS administration wants its students to be active outside the classroom, involved in co-curriculars, complete service in the community, work at a job, and have a social life. On top of all of that, students have to worry about homework. It is simply too much to handle sometimes. In a recent RHS survey, Frank Schroer, junior, surveyed 33 Rockhurst students. Out of those 33 students, 39.3% said that they spend three or more hours on homework a night. And 81.8% of students surveyed responded that they participate in different activities outside of school. One student explains why he struggles to complete his homework by saying, “I have rehearsals after school, for choir, musicals, etc., that can take up anywhere from two to five hours (or more, if they overlap) of my time after school. This just doesn't leave much time for doing homework at home.” With outside activities, it is becoming harder and harder for students to keep up with the rigorous workload. Personally, I

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