Is it better to challenge yourself too much, or not enough?

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I currently go to a very difficult and demanding school. I'm learning a lot, but the work is just way too much and I just found out I'm failing two classes. I'm considering switching schools to one that cares much less about grades and college prep and focuses more on making sure students are interested and learn at the best level they can. The other school is also extremely small, with less than 200 students compared to over 700 at my current school. Do you think I should switch?

It is important to always be challenged, but if your school pressures you to learn at a pace you cannot handle, you are not getting the value of an education. You want a school that feeds you at a pace you can process, but doesn't give you an easy pass just because you aren't as fast as others they are used to.

I agree. You need to be challenged at a pace you can handle. If you are given knowledge faster than you can process it, it's not so good for you. Have you talked to teachers at your school about this?

Though, at a smaller school, you can talk to teachers easier. It's easier to say 'can you explain this, I didn't understand' etc. I chose a small collage because of this, the lecturers knew me and I knew them (on a educational basis). It was easier to ask questions and stuff.

Thanks for the advice guys. I think I am going to switch schools for next year. Luckily, I might not fail those two classes this year. As long as I get a D or better on my final, I pass history. I don't know about English though. Well, hopefully this new school will be better for me, and if anything's not going well I can always talk to people here.

By all means, you want to take chances and try new things. But in circumstances where it's okay to fail, and school is emphatically not such a circumstance. In fact, you kind of want to play and win the school "game."

Please understand, I am all in favor of learning for its own sake. As a human being, you can learn things in a real way, whether you supplement what you have learned in school or learn something entirely on your own. And with the Internet and other avenues, either while you are learning (best) or with a finished product (still very good), you can share your learning in meaningful communication and thereby contribute to the welfare of others. Yeah, really. For example, something as widely discussed as the swine flu. You might think there's a ton of material on the Internet. True. But is there a ton of material that artfully tries to steer a middle course, in the way you could? Maybe not.

RockDrummer616, I take it from your name, you're into music? So, by all means, extend yourself and try all kinds of new things in music. Just please keep in mind that not every experiment succeeds, and certainly not every ambitious experiment. And sometimes even the smallest of things are tripped up by the glitchiest of reasons. All part of the texture of life.

School generally rewards skimming. And that's okay. For that's another way to learn. You kind of arc across a topic. So you can add that to your repertoire of skills, learn to arc!, play the school game and win, and generally do your real learning on your own, whether you arc or not. There has to be at least 25 good styles of learning.

Good luck on your finals. And good luck at your new school!

I would say challenging yourself too much is better than not enough, from experience I'm not challenged enough now (where as I used to be) and as a direct result I'm now a lazy sod who is rather demotivated

I honestly say that you should learn at a pace that is most comfortable for your needs rather then overwhelming yourself with 5-7 classes under your belt and failing the most of them. Because i took four classes and got bad grades on three of them, but when i took 2 classes, i got A's. So it is better for some people to take less classes and invest a large amount of time on the lesser amount of classes.

The individualized focus and smaller size will probably help a lot. You may find that you learn a LOT more that way, so make sure they will be able to challenge you enough.

Good luck.

Keep in mind, this is also why there are private tutors (some are free from the school) to help you in subjects.

The material is geared towards the "average" student. Some subjects are easy, some are hard...based on the individual's makeup.

It is EXPECTED that if a class is hard for you, you will obtain a tutor to get extra help so you can keep up.

It is a sound policy because a lot of people who struggle in a topic just need more time to grasp the material, and once they understand it, they do very well from that point forward.