Fish were born to be good at swimming but with a little bit of nurture, humanity was able to achieve something similar with submarines and boats. While fish were given their talent, humans had to work harder to have the same ability that those fish do.

The same goes with high school students. As juniors receive the grades of their last English essay for the semester, the room goes silent as the teacher walks around passing back their results. The result not only counts for recency, but dictates if they need additional evidence within the next week.

To some, this essay was an easy task that solidified their grade while to others it was a roller coaster that might have not even guaranteed their grade. This leads to students comparing their results with one another due to the difference in score which inevitably leads to effort comparison.

Statesman believes students in different classes experience conflicts when comparing themselves to their peers. Therefore students should focus less on comparison, and more on what they need to do personally to grow.

Although not all students experience the same level of stress or organization skills, what classifies someone as ‘smarter’ if they put more effort in but get the same results as someone who doesn’t? People often argue about ‘hard work vs. talent’ and which matters more, making it confusing when trying to figure out the best way to succeed.

We have all heard Tim Notke’s popular saying, “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.” However, does this mentality apply in school? While this quote is widely accepted, perhaps the reality isn’t ‘talent vs. hard work’ but how they interact to make someone as successful as they can be. Statesman believes that talent is the initial spark, the thing that makes someone interested in a topic, but hard work is the continuation of that initial interest.

However, sometimes individuals realize that hard work is needed earlier than others. For example, math levels in middle school are assigned based on performance during elementary school. A student can be placed in a higher math class because they understand more topics which can mean their confidence grows, therefore allowing them to continue succeeding smoother in the future.

These students put in the work previously, by learning problem solving skills and taking harder level classes, which in turn makes them better prepared for an even more difficult curriculum. However, this effort is often overlooked by peers as ‘natural talent. Although students may dedicate themselves later on, statesman believes that understanding one’s strengths is ideal in order to not harm one’s mental state.

Labeling students as ‘talented’ as a form of praise can hold adverse effects on their growth. In a study by PubMed Central, students that were praised for their talent on an assignment did significantly worse on a subsequent test than another set of students who were praised for their hard work.

On a similar note, while some believe that talent is a sole necessity, without continuous dedication and work, their talent will be replaced by someone else’s consistency. Not everyone is talented in all aspects, and if that was the case it would be impossible to differentiate individuals from one another.

Statesman believes understanding how to use your talent to your advantage is the greatest talent that you have to offer. Stevenson’s ultra-competitive nature pushes its students to work harder, due to the pressure to keep up. Nevertheless, the amount of effort that students put in does not always translate into high grades, because homework and extra practice holds varying degrees of importance.

Additionally, while the EBR system has increased the amount of students that neglect trying towards the end of the year, due to their grade being “locked in,” it provides students that may be struggling towards the beginning of the year to have the ability to continue growing their skills and eventually get their final grade up due to their shown improvement. This gives all students the opportunity to succeed and pushes students to stay consistent or move up academically.

Although you may be getting the same grades and results as students who are spending hours studying, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to spend the same amount of time. That is when understanding your talents and gifts come into play.

There are many different ways to learn about yourself and identity, and using self discovery tests such as personality.co’s can help individuals find their passions. Once you are able to find a subject matter that may interest you, it can allow you to participate in those passions, and overall optimize your success.

Additionally, statesman believes it’s a necessity for students to take their interest and passions and learn to apply themselves in areas where their talent doesn’t exist. It’s not only possible for one to succeed in specific areas, so by learning how to adapt students are one step closer to becoming successful in their struggling areas as well.

Stevenson students are highly selective with what they spend their time working on. Many students are in multiple extracurriculars and have a large workload due to their classes. Statesman finds that understanding your schedule and allowing yourself to prioritize classes that are harder for you is the solution for many.

There is no specific feature that someone has to possess in order to be ‘more’ hard working. Hard work is spending the time and effort that you need to in order to do well, as well as determining your level of success based on effort versus a grade.

Instead of comparing yourself to others, try your best to reach success in whatever you do; others’ actions shouldn’t dictate how successful you are. While there is no answer to what is more important, Statesman believes that talent is the start, but it’s up to you to continue thriving while using your strengths and strengthening your weaknesses.