By Samantha Sanchez
Staff Writer
Costa teachers and Principal Dr. Ben Dale are working on a much needed new stress plan that, if approved, will be effective in taking away stress for future generations of Costa students and teachers.
According toDale, the new proposed stress plan includes plans to define homework, making it no more than 25 percent of a student’s grade, with a 5 percent variance in like subjects. For example, in a subject like Advanced Placement Biology, one teacher cannot make homework worth 10 percent of the grade, while the other teacher makes it worth 25 percent.
In addition, as stated by Dale, teachers will not be allowed to assign homework due on Mondays. This plan will reduce student stress because it will give students more time on the weekends to focus on studying for testsn ad de-stress instead of completing often unnecessary assignments.
According to Costa junior Ashley Werre, some aspects of the stress plan will be effective for students because she finds that in many of her classes, the majority of homework is distributed on Friday, to be due Monday. If that is happening with all of her classes at the same time, the weekend becomes less of a break from school and more of an independent study. The idea of no homework due Mondays is an exciting concept for most students, ideally foreshadowing little to no objection if this new stress plan is enacted next year.
Another installment of the proposed plan is that each department will only have their individual two days per week to hold tests and make assignments due. According to Dale, this will create a block schedule feel where students will be able to see all of their teachers everyday. This would be the most beneficial part of the plan for students because they would be able to manage their time better and they will not be bombarded with multiple tests, assignments nad projects that may be due on the same day.
The new plan appeals to both students and teachers. According to Dale, the new stress plan is entirely teacher driven. By the teachers creating the plan, there will be more of a likeliness that a majority of the teachers will be pleased with the new adjustments, making it more appealing and beneficial to teachers, as well.
Dale still has to propose the new stress plan in front of a sub-council that the Ed council created in order to facilitate this specific project. The plan is approved by Dale, and if it is approved by Ed council it will go into effect beginning in the 2016-2017 school year. The new stress plan, if implemented within the next school year, will significantly reduce stress and have a positive impact on campus of creating an environment with more relaxed and mentally healthy students.
With hopes that Dale’s new stress plan will be implemented in the new school year, students have a lot to look forward to. Homework, the main source of student stress, will be well-organized due to the assigned department days, and students will have less to stress about over the weekends. If approved, this plan for less stress will ideally produce more academically successful students for years to come.
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