Elizabeth Patton

I’m not a fan of stereotypes, but I am the definition of one. I’m the first born and female. I’m as Type A as you can get and extremely competitive. Grades have been a focal point of my high school career, so naturally, Skyward is one of my most used apps.

When I came to Free State, I was introduced to Skyward in app form. I no longer had to find a computer or a Wi-Fi source to check my grades. I could do it sitting in class, from my handy-dandy iPhone 4s. It was a glorious day for my anxiety-ridden, grade checking 14-year-old self. Four years later, the Skyward app is still on my homescreen, nestled between Messages and Safari.

Grades play such a heavy role in my future academic endeavors, so why wouldn’t I spend my monthly data plan checking them? It’s a tool meant to connect parents and students to life within our school. Being able to see exactly what you’re good or bad at gives you the insight to change or maintain study habits for greater future success. Plus, I always know when to keep my mom away from Skyward after a subpar test grade has been entered.

Just like learning trumps grades, awareness also trumps ignorance. There is no reason not to use the resources at your fingertips to stay current with grades and assignments. Whether you like it or not, your high school career dictates your future and using the resources provided to you is a part of the process.

Darby Gilliland

I can’t remember the last time I checked Skyward without a teacher telling my class to check our test grades. I’ve never felt that figurative bead of sweat falling down my forehead as I typed in my password.

I don’t check Skyward often because it’s stress inducing. Checking my Skyward app every minute to see if the test scores have been posted does not seem healthy to me. I would rather wait until I get my test in class so I can see exactly what I’ve done wrong  and why I deserve that grade. 

Checking Skyward can also contribute to procrastination and not doing your best work. I have heard people say, “I have 98% in the class, so why would I do that assignment?” Skyward is there so we can know how we are doing in a class, not how little work we can do. It allows people to put off their studies by distracting themselves with the latest update on their GPA instead of studying.

Lastly, most of the students who are checking Skyward non-stop are dealing with the pressure of getting good grades to get into a good college and get a good job. If you are caught up in trying to get that perfect 4.0, it can defeat the purpose of school: learning. I completely understand why people check Skyward so much. It is easily accessible and can be helpful in times of academic distress, but in my opinion, it’s a huge distraction.