How The Pearl Balances Academic Rigor With Student Wellbeing
Every parent wants to see their child succeed, and parents often feel a lot of pressure when choosing a high school. Graduation looms heavy, with college, career, and securing financial stability weighing on our teens as they also deal with the struggles of understanding relationships, social dynamics, and self-discovery, which are a natural part of their development.
Many schools will lean towards academics or well-being, one school may focus on academic rigor and college preparedness while neglecting to acknowledge the important personal time necessary for a teen’s emotional growth, while another school may completely sacrifice academics in order to provide a gentle approach to student wellness that leaves young adults completely unprepared for graduation and deprives them of the opportunity to pursue a education at a competitive university or a career in academia or STEM.
The Pearl seeks a balance between academic rigor and time for personal development. We believe that the pursuit of student well-being mandates the inclusion of both.
The Role of Academics in Student Wellbeing
At The Pearl, we do the work we do because we believe in the inherent value of education. A quality education isn’t just about providing students with the skills they need to get a good job. Education expands the worldview of the student and helps them prepare to be informed and engaged citizens.
A good school teaches students to think critically, research information, analyze data, and to pursue and expand their knowledge. Studying history can help a student gain an understanding not only of themselves but also of those around them and of the society in which they live. The pursuit of science can help one navigate the natural world, gain experience in problem-solving, and develop the research skills necessary to navigate life. The study of philosophy can help students address existential questions they may face and develop the skills needed to confront injustice and deliver meaningful solutions.
It is entirely natural to feel fear of the unknown. Whether this fear manifests as social anxiety, material concerns, or prejudice, knowledge can be a powerful tool towards inner peace. We teach our students to develop autonomy and become solution-oriented, enabling them to learn by designing a curriculum that is personally meaningful and culturally relevant. A student overwhelmed by racial injustice in their community may choose to do a project on the Civil Rights Movement, or study the career of a Black musician they admire. A learner struggling through their first heartbreak may study different forms of poetry or lyric writing, finding a healthy outlet for processing what they are going through while developing their understanding of language and literature.
This structure can be particularly beneficial for students with autism, ADHD, or twice-exceptional learners, as a personally meaningful curriculum can significantly improve engagement and retention. Our learners with special interests regularly curate their curricula around those interests, and our team is trained to identify connections between their chosen subjects and the primary class topic. By the end of this process, our learners are often deeply engaged in their projects and can deliver complex, analytical, and reflective presentations beyond their grade level.
The Role Mental Health Plays in Academics
Prior to arriving at The Pearl, many of our learners endured the hustle-and-grind culture that many institutions impose. After having teachers, staff, and even peers refuse to acknowledge their struggles, they experience school refusal, completely check out of their academics, and often fail their classes or completely drop out of school. It is unrealistic to expect students to perform their best academically when they are struggling with their mental health. Unfortunately, we live in a time of much tragedy and injustice, and our youth feel its impact. It is hard enough to exist as a teenager without being inundated with bad news all day long.
While we maintain high academic standards, we don’t expect our students to be fully present in their academics when they are struggling personally. By creating a safe space for our students to communicate with their teachers, share what they are dealing with, and be patient as they pursue their studies, we enable them to re-engage with their learning.
Burnout can have a significant impact inpact on student engagement as well. Many neurodiverse learners struggle with burnout, especially when forced to socially mask or engage with topics that do not resonate with them. We do our best not to overload our students while giving them the support they need to earn full credits toward graduation.
We are an online school, so while we encourage students to keep their cameras on in class to foster greater engagement with their classmates and teachers, they may keep their cameras off on days when they are not feeling their best. Additionally, The Pearl operates on a four-day class week, with the fifth day reserved for personal development and working on their chosen projects. This gives students the opportunity to engage with their local communities. We recommend physical activity, volunteering, or enjoying the local library as experiences that are both educational and beneficial to their well-being.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs suggests that humans cannot dedicate themselves to the pursuits of academics, philosophy, and the arts without first having their basic physiological needs met, as well as their needs for safety and belonging. We see how this Hierarchy of Needs affects our students, and we do our best to provide them with, at the very least, a sense of safety and belonging wherever we can, and we watch them thrive from it. Parents have shared that not only do they feel their teens are receiving an exceptional education at The Pearl, but they believe we have saved their child’s life.
If you want to learn more about how The Pearl can help your teenager balance their academics and personal wellbeing, schedule a meeting with our director to discuss your family’s needs and our enrollment options.