Too many of us have that feeling.
The feeling of failure.
Of being incapable.
That life has lost meaning.
There are many possible events that go with that feeling, but it runs rampant throughout the school the day after grades are finalized. That gaping darkness of having to retake a class, or to quit pursuing the Honors distinction. But now, thanks to your decision, your academic career is seemingly sending you on a collision course with a lifetime of poverty. Because you tried to build your resume with 4 honors classes this year, to show you’re smart, but you weren’t smart enough to mold that perfect GPA. But if you had known what West honors classes really are, then you might have known that your mindset about honors is completely wrong.

One major misleading perception is that colleges will look at the number of honors classes a student takes. They don’t care that much. If they really did care, they would care the same way as a fish wondering about the chance of rain. The main reason to take honors is for extra content.

“[With English 10,] if we were to read a novel,” English teacher John Boylan said, “I’d expect my honors class to be able to read 30 pages at home and come back with smart stuff to say, whereas in a regular [class] we would read the first 15 pages together so I can plant the seeds of what to look for.”

Honors classes generally go over the same curriculum as regular classes, but usually at a faster pace or in more detail. But this definition is usually distorted due to the competitive culture at West.

“I think students take honors because their friends do, or because they feel it’s cool here to have a super busy schedule, and hard classes,” Boylan said.
“It’s almost like social capital. [Sometime they feel as though] those people who are just ‘regular’ students are somehow dumber or worse human beings, even though they’re not. I’ve seen some students in my regular English classes who could definitely be part of my honors classes, but their schedules were full.”

Boylan also brings up the point that being smart doesn’t imply an honors class will be easy.

“I get a lot of students who don’t care about English in my English H classes,” he said, “They don’t like to read, they don’t like to write, and they don’t like to discuss, so I’m like if you don’t like to read, write, or discuss, then what are you doing in an honors classes?”

Honors were created to offer an alternative for students who wanted a faster paced class. Oftentimes, passing theses classes requires background knowledge or dedication.

“It doesn’t mean you have to be an A student,” Spanish teacher Teresa Bozer said, “Honors means you have to be a student willing to work.”

While a faster class could imply more time-consuming homework, the amount varies impressively from class to class. Take English 9, for example.

“I wouldn’t say it’s more work,” said Jared Staskal ‘20, “[rather] we do different things [from regular] They might be reading this one book while we might be reading a different book.”

While honors homework load might vary according to the subject, it is rarely just more difficult question-and-answer paperwork. Honor classes attempt to go through subjects more in-depth, and more often, those worksheets won’t be adequate. For the Spanish section, honors homework often comes in the form of more speaking practice instead.

“Many times [we foreign language teachers] collect less homework,” Bozer said

In general, there is a similarity that all honors classes share. Whether it is English or Spanish, all honors classes expect the students to be dedicated to the subject and ready to learn everyday.

“It’s just different homework, with different expectations,” Bozer said, “ It’s not about in the amount of homework, it’s about the pacing, and that the students be willing and ready to practice on their own, and willing to fully participate in a class.”