OPINION: Catlin is not doing enough to protect students from the workload

By Hadley Cress ‘27

Courtesy of Skill Point Therapy.

Catlin Gabel School (CGS) is a very academically rigorous institution. It is currently ranked number one in Oregon for private schools, according to Niche, and is commonly referred to as a college prep school. The community, while very welcoming and close-knit, places a very high value on grades and academic success, which creates an environment that negatively impacts students.

The intensive curriculum at CGS allows students to be challenged and truly grow as learners, but at what cost?

As students know, classes at CGS are difficult, and the freedom they are given to choose their classes is a privilege. It allows us to balance our workload, take difficult classes that interest us, and explore new topics outside of simply the required courses.

By allowing students to pick their classes, CGS gives students the responsibility to manage their own workload. They are expected to consider the difficulty of each course and the amount of time they have to dedicate to it. Students are not required to take more than five classes and are encouraged to take six or fewer so they have a free block.

Giving students this freedom allows them to prepare for college. Choosing courses that specifically interest them opens up new opportunities, and students grow in their time management skills.

These are all benefits to the intensive, student-centered environment at CGS; however, without proper regulation, it can be too much for students.

Students who are unable to manage their workload can burn out, losing all motivation and love for learning, the exact opposite of the school’s purpose. Too much stress for young adults can put them at risk for severe mental health issues.

At CGS specifically, the competition between students to be the most academic or have the most proficient list of extracurricular activities is high. Students are encouraged to fill their schedules as much as possible, not by their teachers but by their peers. In a survey conducted on a select group of students, 67% agreed that they felt pressured to busy their schedules, which only adds to student workload.

To help combat the strenuous coursework, CGS has a workload policy, which is available in the student handbook. The policy sets a limit, in minutes, that a class is allowed to assign for homework each night. Depending on the type of course, the limit changes; for honors classes, for example, they are allowed one hour of work each night, while freshman classes are allowed 30 minutes.

These regulations help to minimize student workload. However, they are only effective if teachers are actively following the regulations.

While some courses are able to manage the amount of work assigned, others struggle to follow the workload policy. For Katie Jin, a senior at CGS, teachers openly expressing that the workload will be increased compared to the workload policy is not uncommon.

Additionally, because of the close-knit community built at CGS, it can be difficult to communicate with administrators about a heavy workload from teachers. “It almost feels like I’m telling on my teachers … when I care about my relationships a lot with my teachers,” said Jin.

On the other hand, the curriculum of most courses has been cut down by 30% to 50% over the past few years due to changes in the schedule, as well as changes in the workload policy. This makes it difficult for teachers to ensure their students are meeting the learning goals in their courses, while not overwhelming them with work.

Tony Stocks, the English 11 teacher, spoke about how “there are fewer opportunities to teach longer works,” as well as the English department's commitment to focus on the writing process, which, given the current schedule, means writing fewer papers.

There is a difficult balance between the amount of work that will cause stress on students and the amount of work needed to fully teach a course.

In addition to a limit on the amount of homework, the workload policy has guidelines surrounding when major assignments can be assigned. Students may not have more than two major assignments due on the same day or three due over a two-day period. Teachers are also required to inform their students of major assignments two weeks before they are due.

For teachers, there is a calendar that keeps track of all major assignments across courses. Without this calendar, it becomes increasingly difficult for teachers to avoid assigning multiple major assignments due on the same day. It instead places the pressure of managing major assignments on the students, further adding to their stress.

While the calendar is important, it comes with its difficulties. Ginia King, a 10th-grade English teacher, spoke about the issues of the workload policy, "Not a lot of people use it,” but if the calendar were filled out and used rigorously, it would be difficult for teachers to adjust their courses to benefit their students.

Additionally, many students have classes across traditional grade levels, making it even more difficult for teachers to keep track of which classes their students are in.

Furthermore, the workload policy fails to account for students’ extracurricular activities. Many CGS students participate in extracurricular activities, and according to a survey conducted within the CGS community, 44.4% of the students strongly agree that they are feeling stressed with their workload, as well as 40% of the students strongly agreeing that they were concerned about balancing their workload with extracurriculars. These activities only add to student stress, and the environment at CGS that encourages students to fill up their schedules whenever possible creates a toxic environment.

By allowing students to take seven courses, sometimes numerous honors classes, as well as lead multiple clubs and participate in sports, CGS is allowing students to overcommit themselves.

While some students may be able to manage their time appropriately, this is not a universal case. For the majority of the student body, requiring a free block as well as a lighter course load if students are busy outside of school should be mandatory.

The workload CGS allows students to balance is a careful system that can easily be overwhelmed. Students continue to struggle with the work in their classes, while teachers struggle to balance the course load cuts.

Instead, the CGS workload policy should focus on the workload they allow students to sign up for. By limiting the difficulty of courses or the number of courses they allow students to take, the school will help to manage student workload while also protecting classes from a shortened curriculum.