Saratoga News

Photograph by Robert Scheer

Kamal Hubbard pauses before entering his 8 a.m. SAT exam, a ritual for every college-bound student.

Education Motivation

Much of the desire to do well comes from students themselves, who see learning as a significant part of their lives

The influence of self-motivation
Part two of three-part series

By Robert Scheer

You can take the student out of Saratoga, but you can't take the Saratoga out of the student. Or at least that's the story floating around the community that boasts one of the top high schools in the country. "I had a friend who was below average [at Saratoga High]," said Katie Missakian, who will be a senior this fall. "Then she moved to Santa Cruz and made straight-A's and was at the top of the class."

Because Saratoga High's program is more rigorous than the program at most high schools, its students are known for being strongly self-motivated, and many believe that they are their own best academic inspiration.

"If your parents are forcing you to study, you won't go as far as if you want it yourself," said Katie Chang, who recalls pulling several all-nighters studying for exams her junior year.

Chang was also quick to point out her faults. "There are classes where I could have done better, like my science classes."

Aaron Martlage, this year's senior class president, agreed. "Students have to work harder here to receive high grades, but I think that if you gave them a choice, they would want to go to Saratoga, because you're going to learn more--you're going to get more out of it."

He said most students do not feel forced to go to college; they are excited about college as a learning experience.

Teacher Jim Feenstra witnessed firsthand the kind of dedication that students have. "I'm sure that parental support is a factor, but I'm also seeing a lot of self-regulation. In some cases, they have decided for themselves, 'Hey, if I want to do well, this is what I want to accomplish.' "

Study time for Saratoga High students is equivalent to the time many high-school students spend socializing. According to a SHS student questionnaire, 64 percent of students do more than two hours of homework a night.

"I spend two to four hours a day, usually Sunday to Thursday," senior Kamal Hubbard said. Hubbard does not go out on school nights, except to a friend's house to study. "If we have a project, we do it and watch a little TV, or go to coffee, but it's not very often," he said.

Many students have high stress levels as a result of rigorous academics. Most would agree that education is the main cause of stress in their lives.

"They describe themselves as being stressed out," counselor Noreen Likins said. "When you look at the reasons why they say that, they mean that they have a lot of work to do. They mean that they are taking difficult courses. But interestingly, they have chosen that particular kind of program."

Partly to help balance the stress of academics and partly due to personal desire for success, many Saratoga High Students are actively involved in extracurricular activities.

Students see clubs and athletics as a great way to pursue interests and abate study doldrums.

Standout basketball player Aaron Martlage said he wanted a well-rounded education. "I became senior class president because there were just certain things that I felt were going on that you can't change when you're just a number in the crowd."

Martlage's mother said she respects his extracurricular involvement. "He's a real unique individual--he's got a real strong sense of right and wrong. When I've said to him, 'I don't understand this grade, we both know you can do better,' he says, 'Let's keep in mind I'm a well-rounded person. Would you rather I study all the time and not do anything else?' So, obviously the answer is 'No.' We don't want a person so focused on studying that they get a 4.6 and have no personality."

Missakian is a cheerleader and a member of Positive Peer Pressure, a group that works with Redwood Junior High School students. "We take the information that we learn and try to educate the kids. We don't preach--we try to get involved," she said. "If we can affect even one student every time, then it will be worth it."

Personal gratification is the major reward for campus involvement. Last fall, Hubbard collaborated with a group of campus artists to design a T-shirt. The project didn't turn a profit, but he realized the money wasn't as important as the process. "You see other people wearing your T-shirt. They don't know you put it together, but you do. ... It still feels good."

Hubbard has also made a moral statement at school. An illustration ran in Saratoga High's newspaper, The Falcon, this March that was offensive to some readers. It went with a story about affirmative action. There was a cartoon of a man in a loincloth holding a spear with the word ACCEPTED! underneath. Next to it was a clothed man holding a piece of paper that said DENIED!

"People look at that and that gives them the impression that affirmative action students get in because of race, not intelligence," Hubbard said.

He and some other students wrote a letter to the editor denouncing the decision to run the article and cartoon that was published in The Falcon's next edition.

For some students, extracurricular activities mean more padding for a transcript, but most are quick to point out that that's not the real issue. Chang, a one-time cheerleader and swimmer, cut out these activities in her final two years to make room for work on the school-site council, in Academic Mentors and, most recently, assistant editorship on The Falcon.

"I like the things in the clubs that I get involved in, like the leadership skills. In terms of getting into college, maybe it's an encouragement, but I don't think it's the primary goal," Chang said.

Henry Chang echoes his daughter's, and many student's beliefs, when he speaks of societal skills, "I think education is very important, but it's just one of the skills you need in society. The other parts, like dealing with people, speaking--things like that--don't come from a book."

Next week, part three: The influence of peers and the school on student success.