The proposed recommendations aim to reduce the achievement gap for Black, Latino and low-income students. According to the Nation’s Report Card for 2019, California’s eighth graders performed significantly poorer than the national public in math, with only 61% of students achieving basic standards and 29% qualifying for proficiency. Because California’s standardized math scores are some of the lowest in the nation, efforts are being made to improve its math curriculum.

Some students, such as freshman Aleena Xiao expressed concerns that following the new pathway could hinder student learning. “Students should have the freedom to choose what math course they take so that they are motivated to learn and participate in classes that interest them,” she said.

One of the concerns the framework raises is that students may not be able to complete Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus by the end of high school. To address this, educators proposed combining Geometry, Algebra II/Trigonometry and Pre-Calculus into two blended courses. While Introduction to Analysis and Calculus and Algebra I teacher Julia Choi is interested in the blended courses, educators don’t currently know what the program would look like. “We would need a lot more time,” she said. “The curriculum would have to change in order to blend those three courses together.”

Although blended courses may be more challenging for students and teachers alike, Math Department Instructional Lead David Deggeller noted that it wouldn’t cause major changes. “It won’t really affect long term math learning,” he said. “Every student will still have a pathway to higher mathematics like [AP] Calculus or AP Statistics if that’s their goal.”

Choi added that although colleges value classes such as AP Calculus, it’s not a requirement for future success. “[Taking calculus] is one of the metrics that universities use when accepting students,” she said. “But I don’t think that knowing calculus itself determines how successful you’re going to be.”

With this in mind, Choi pointed to the benefits of a successfully implemented program. “Teachers need the proper training, so that we’re not holding back students,” she said. “We need to know how to keep up the rigor in a classroom while also helping students who still need to know the basics.”

This framework has entered its third 60-day public review and is currently scheduled to be approved and adopted by the State Board of Education (SBE) in July 2022, but the date is subject to change.

Many students have schedules that are jammed full with school, jobs and extracurricular activities. Because of that, late nights and early mornings are the most viable times for students to do schoolwork. Sleeping often comes secondary to upcoming homework and tests. According to “Medical News Today,” staying up on nights during the week is common practice among students. One-fifth of students pull all-nighters at least once a month, and over a third of students stay up past 3 a.m. at least once a week.

For students, trying to sleep the night before a major exam is never easy, especially when they know that they are ill-prepared. Anxiety is common before upcoming exams, as is guilt for trying to rest instead of studying, which can result in restless sleep or even insomnia. In such situations, it’s better to study than to sleep. For nervous students, studying is much more productive than just lying awake in bed stressing. Studying may not only prepare students for exams but also ease their anxiety about it. Furthermore, the reassurance that a student is actively striving to learn can quell their guilt and fears.

It is important to note, however, that tests are not the only contributor to grades. In some classes, homework carries weight as well. Unlike tests, homework needs to be done outside of school hours. Homework has to be arduously completed before school starts, which can take hours. According to February’s PAUSD survey, Gunn students spend an average of 115 minutes—nearly two whole hours—on homework every night. This data shows that only nighttime has enough free hours for students to finish homework, especially with a quickly-approaching due date.

While some argue that students are too drowsy at night to study or learn properly, the brain actually remembers the most information right before sleep. In a study conducted by the University of Notre Dame, researchers concluded that sleeping directly after learning benefits both episodic (facts about events) and semantic (facts about the world) memory. Therefore, contrary to popular belief, learning at night benefits student studies. Since most of the community is likely asleep or studying late at night, students can concentrate better. There are fewer pedestrians and vehicles making noise outside and fewer overall distractions.

Late-night studying is unlikely to affect healthy students in the long-term, but it could be what turns their failing grade into a passing one. Students are fine if they sleep late, as long as they don’t pull complete all-nighters every single day. According to the University of California, students only take a couple of days to recover from a sleepless night. When done in moderation, all-nighters provide more benefits than drawbacks.

Most students rarely have a choice between studying or sleeping at night—their schedules and grades decide for them. Students inevitably study at night because studying, as opposed to sleeping, is much more practical for both their grades and mental health.

Her younger sister Vallory Kuelker has played basketball for over eight years. “I got into basketball because of watching my older sisters play,” she said. “I would always play in my sisters’ practices, just for fun.”

The Kuelkers are not the only sibling athletes at Gunn. Senior Jonathan Hardan and junior Jude Hardan, his brother, have been playing soccer together for the past 14 years. They are now teammates on the boys varsity soccer team. “My dad plays soccer, so he got us interested in the sport,” Jonathan Hardan said. “We felt a little bit obligated at first, but once we started liking it, it was completely our choice.”

The Kuelkers and Hardans have each trained with their siblings outside of school for years, but less so now that they are busier and on the same team at Gunn. Still, the Kuelkers enjoy the time that they spend practicing on campus. “During practices, Vallory and I were always the ones singing and dancing the most when we played music, and that was always super fun,” Mollie Kuelker said. “We’d just be embarrassing ourselves, but it was okay because we were doing it together.”

According to Vallory Kuelker, playing the same sport has benefited her and her sister. “I share some gear with Mollie and have gotten a lot of clothes handed down to me,” she said. “We’ve also been able to bond through playing since we can talk and hang out together more.” Jude Hardan agreed that sports have helped him bond with his brother. “I’m pretty lucky to have someone around the same age with the same interest,” he said. “[We] can spend a lot more time with each other.” Although the siblings share similar interests, they often get compared to each other. The Kuelkers are unbothered by this, though. “Other parents used to say a lot of things,” Mollie Kuelker said. “My mom would always tell them that we can’t be compared because we’re different players and positions. It has never made Vallory and me competitive on the court.”

The Hardan brothers also get compared to each other, yet they handle it just as well. “Our friends ask all the time,” Jude Hardan said. “Everyone’s like, ‘Who’s better?’”

According to Jonathan, the answer is clear. “It’s always me,” Hardan said. “I’m always better.”

Though the Hardans now play for the same team, they were once opponents in club soccer. “We were on different teams based on our ages,” Jonathan Hardan said. “But one time we got the chance to scrimmage, so I was playing against [Jude]. I remember putting in a pretty nasty tackle on him. It’s something funny that we always tell people.”

Since the Hardans now both play for Gunn, they take it as an opportunity to support each other. “We watch pretty much all of each other’s games, and we know each other’s coaches,” Jonathan Hardan said. “So we can sit on the bench with them and be with the team, and at halftime or during the game, we’ll yell instructions if they need help.”

The Kuelkers echoed this sentiment. Because they are on the same team, they assist each other in games. “Vallory and I work really well together on the court,” Mollie Kuelker said. “We know each other’s playing style, and it’s really easy to trust each other. We always know that someone has our back when we play together.”

Although some students can be tough to teach, Hu believes that tutoring builds a variety of skills. “It teaches me to be patient and to be the bigger person,” she said.

According to Hu, the weekly classes always boast a positive learning environment. “It’s a teaching experience,” she said. “It has taught me to be efficient and not procrastinate.”

During her job, Hu works with co-teachers who are unreliable—an experience that has taught her how to work with all types. “[My co-teacher] never responds to emails on time,” she said. “He tells me that I have to finish all this stuff in two weeks, but then he doesn’t finish his own stuff for two months.”

Though tutoring may be frustrating, Hu notes that forming relationships makes it all worthwhile. Hu hopes that the bonds she creates with her students will have a lasting impact. “What you tell them now could become their motivation for the next five years,” she said. “It’s important to create a good foundation.”

Hu encourages other students to tutor as well. “It’s fun,” she said. “You get to connect with people from different schools that you wouldn’t have met before.”