A man carefully trekking his way up a mountain. (Fabrizio Conti)

Challenge is something everyone goes through. Whether it be through having a family member die or just having to feed your pets, everyone deals with challenges. The concept of challenge is quite complex. What a challenge actually is could mean two entirely different things to different people. For instance, one person might find simply waking up to be a difficulty. Given the complexity of the concept of challenge, it is imperative that the lingering question of what a challenge actually is be answered.

According to Merriam-Webster, a challenge is “a difficult task or problem.” Although this definition hits most of the main points, it is simple and misses many of the complexities the concept entails. Another simple definition is an event/burden one goes through. Much like Merriam-Webster’s definition, this definition misses many of the complexities of the concept of challenge. 

  In a recent interview, McCaskey High School principal, Dr. Justin Reese, defined a challenge as “something that you as a person do not know whether or not you will be successful.” Dr. Reese’s definition hits on the more complex aspects of what a challenge really is—the mystification of tackling a tough task, knowing failure may be imminent. But why is it important that everyone experiences challenges? What value does challenge offer?

Challenges provide everyone—regardless of age—an avenue towards improvement. Additionally, challenging tasks also provide the opportunity to become accustomed to challenges. Dr. Reese believes challenge is important because “working through something challenging gives you the skills and confidence to try more challenging things.Take risks on yourself and develop some self-advocacy and self-belief that you can do hard things.” Dr. Reese would also add that students should strive for self challenge because “high school is not the hardest thing in your life.” In addition, people gain confidence in their abilities through challenging themselves. As Dr. Reese put it, “if you challenge yourself a little bit, you’ve increased your chance to be successful because you’ve done hard things. You know you can do hard things.” When people have self-confidence in their own abilities, success becomes an achievable standard. But how can students challenge themselves within the confines and out of McCaskey to be better so they can succeed?

McCaskey offers countless ways for students to challenge themselves. Whether it be through their 52 advanced courses (higher-level courses offered to challenge students, often through the American-based Advanced Placement program (AP) or the internationally based International Baccalaureate program (IB)) or through participation in clubs—McCaskey offers students endless opportunities for challenge. However, every course has its own unique ways for students to challenge themselves.

Starting with social studies and history, self-study and reading are definitely the way to go for students who want to challenge themselves. Dr. Reese would place extra emphasis on students’ reading as an effective way for them to challenge themselves, stating, “If you can read, you can do anything.” In history, there are countless unique texts to read to further historical knowledge—from the Communist Manifesto to the Gulag Archipelago—offering endless options with differing viewpoints, sure to educate and provide a challenge. As for self-studying history, the options are just as plentiful. From video games to YouTube, students can challenge themselves to learn history without it feeling like a challenge at all.

As for language and literature, the options for self-challenge are just as bountiful. Just as students can challenge themselves to become more knowledgeable about history through reading, they can do the same in language and literature. From fiction classics like Harry Potter and Romeo and Juliet to religious works like the Bible and the Quran, reading options are both diverse in thought and plentiful in quantity, ensuring proper literary education for students willing to challenge themselves through reading. Another aspect of challenge when it comes to language and literature is writing. Writing is challenging but can be learned through practice and education. A student, especially one in McCaskey, has countless paths to challenge themselves through writing. One way is to take advanced course options like AP Language and AP Literature, or IB Language. Both courses are sure to teach students the art of writing in a rigorous setting. Students can also join their school’s newspaper’s editorial staff if they want to challenge themselves to write more professional pieces. Outside of school, students can challenge themselves to become better writers in a multitude of ways—ranging from simply writing in a diary to drafting and publishing an entire book.

In the sciences, students have a wide variety of options to challenge themselves. At McCaskey, IB and AP courses in biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, and environmental studies are offered. These courses are difficult and are sure to challenge students to be better scientists, better preparing them to succeed as adults, both in college and the workplace. Outside of the classroom, students can challenge themselves in the sciences through self-study. For example, a physics student could teach themselves to use the Navier-Stokes equations (which describe the motion of viscous liquids), or a chemistry student could teach themselves how a nuclear reactor (a chamber that uses nuclear reactions to generate energy) works. 

Now it is time for mathematics. As with the other three subjects mentioned earlier, mathematics provides students with ample opportunities to challenge themselves. These opportunities come through one concept seen in many other ways for students to challenge themselves—self-studying. Math self-study is especially unique due to the abstract nature of learning math—simply looking at the material isn’t enough; practice and understanding are key. Textbooks and YouTube videos are a great way for students and even adults to challenge themselves with self-studying math; they provide a simple but intuitive way to learn and practice mathematics. Websites like dailyintegral.com also offer daily calculus problems for those who wish to challenge themselves with more difficult math. According to mathnasium.com, children who challenge themselves by practicing mathematics have improved working memory and greater thinking skills. Mathematics is challenging but intuitive, making it a fun but challenging way for students to challenge themselves to be smarter.

While McCaskey students have ample opportunities to challenge themselves through advanced course options and self-study, among many other methods, it would be a disgrace not to mention the ways clubs at McCaskey challenge students. McCaskey’s clubs uniquely challenge students in different ways—whether it’s teaching them to argue, as in the Debate Club, or to take a picture, as in the FOCUS Photography Club. Many of the skills taught in McCaskey’s clubs are transferable to real-life situations. Think about someone having to argue a position in jury duty—being taught how to argue in school, because that said person challenged themselves to learn the art of debate at their school’s local debate club would definitely help in that situation. Scores of students flock to the clubs at McCaskey for a fun challenge that both educates and challenges them in a profoundly meaningful and valuable manner.

Now that the methods by which students can challenge themselves have been addressed, the means by which teachers and adults can challenge themselves can be addressed as well. 

Dr. Reese would state that teachers and adults, specifically in McCaskey,  should challenge themselves because they “think that [they] automatically have arrived. That’s not true.” Simply put, Dr. Reese believes that just because teachers and adults have their lives mostly put together through work does not mean that they are perfect. He believes that “the biggest challenge to us today as a teacher is whether or not I am getting better at my craft.” All of this means that teachers and workers should not get ahead of themselves because they have a secure occupation, but should rather challenge themselves to perfect their craft for possible raises or to get a kid to challenge themselves. Dr. Reese said that teachers can do this through “not making classes entirely worksheets and shutting kids down when they want to try something.” Rather, Dr. Reese believes that teachers should “have conversations with students. Push them. Support them. Really push. Get away from the idea that [they are] an expert. Have challenging conversations.”

Circling back to the students, one way they can challenge themselves has remained unmentioned. McCaskey sophomore Dung Huynh would bring up this method to challenge students, simply advocating that they “push themselves to get good grades.” While it may seem like an obvious method for self-challenge that students can use to produce real, numerical results, grades often cause stress for students. The weight of the GPA and SAT scores leaves students stressed. Dr. Reese would make note of this, stating that “GPA matters not nearly as much as a recommendation letter or a phone call from me or some of our teachers. Sure, you can have the highest GPA. GPA never comes up in job interviews.” As a result, students should not be worried about their GPA—they should be worried about being the best student they can be. But how can McCaskey encourage students to become the best students they can be?

For one, teachers should focus on understanding instead of application. McCaskey chemistry teacher Benjamin Hatch added that students should be able to understand what they are learning so they can “use their knowledge to achieve their goals in the future.” If students are memorizing theorems and formulas without understanding why they work and how they were derived, how are they supposed to have fun learning? As Dr. Reese said earlier, teachers should converse with students and “push them.” Another way teachers could push students to challenge themselves is by gamifying lesson plans. For example, rather than assigning a study guide in pdf or paper format, they could upload it to Kahoot (a gamified study platform) to make studying a bit more fun for students.

Challenge also does not have to come through challenging the mind. A challenge can come from people challenging themselves to be healthier or just better people overall. For example, someone trying to lose weight could challenge themselves to walk for 30 minutes a day. Someone could also challenge themselves to compliment five people a day to mature into a better person. Overall, challenges can take many forms, all of which are valuable for personal development.

Challenge is one of the many inevitable aspects of life. Everyone experiences challenges, and rather than ignoring them, everyone should embrace the difficulties that challenges bring. Like an artist with a canvas of marble, people should let challenges sculpt their lives. Every challenge someone passes up on is a missed opportunity for growth. As Dr. Reese put it, “you would not want to be an old man on a deathbed saying, boy, I wish I would have done a little more.”