The stress of being a student athlete is real. The difficulty in school to sports balance is increased by having to miss or leave class early. Some Berkeley High School athletes get dismissed early from school for home and away games depending on the start time of their match. This time is dedicated to preparing the field, track, court or pool — for home competition — gearing up with equipment and uniforms, and running through drills to warm up properly.
Student athletes with early dismissal for sports may find themselves stressing about the test or classwork they missed due to their absence. Yoshi Salaverry-Takei, an English teacher in Academic Choice, said on average, he had around six students a week leaving his sixth period class early for sports during the fall. He explained that having student athletes constantly leaving class can cause a divide. “Some classwork is meant to be done in a collaborative way, and so they’re not really getting the same education if they’re not here,” he said. Even if a student can make up their work they still do not get the full experience of the lesson they would have received.
Ava Witschi is a BHS sophomore and varsity player on the field hockey and lacrosse teams. One of the issues she has seen especially in the beginning of the year was that she was “not able to get into the rhythm of the class.” Witschi didn’t grow connections with her teachers and peers as quickly and ended up spending late nights and early mornings cramming in assignments. Salaverry-Takei also said, “There is community building that happens organically early on in the semester, and that is heavily disrupted when student athletes with fall sports head off to the field.”
In addition to the disruption of classroom dynamics, leaving school early also heavily impacts grades and curriculum understanding. Daynara Martinez, a water polo and soccer player at BHS, feels the effects of frequently missing her math class. “I struggle a little bit in math, so when I miss the class I come back confused because I wasn’t there the previous lesson,” Martinez said. In order to stay on top of classes, she relies on the good graces of classmates offering notes and study help.
For student athletes, leaving class early has clear implications. Early dismissals result in an added layer of tension between sports and academics. The pressure continues to build as student athletes stay up to date with material, chase good grades, and all the while showing up for their team.