By Melek Z., grade 9
A closer look into students’ thoughts about how school affects their everyday lives.
A sneaky picture of a grade 9 student stressed out before her tests. (Charlotte H./ Buchhof Bulletin)
As the school year progresses, school is taking up more and more of student’s time. A growing number of students have decided to speak about their negative educational experiences due to increasing academic demands and social pressure.
I sent out a form for the students to fill out and the results have revealed that the pressure to do well academically, either because of their families or themselves, is a major reason for stress and anxiety.
“I think that because I feel like I have to always be on top in all of my subjects, it’s pretty overwhelming most the time, usually before an exam.”, says Libby in grade 9. “It’s disappointing to get a grade below 6 now that I’ve been getting better grades this year.”
In addition to the stress of maintaining good grades, school social dynamics weigh down on a majority of student’s shoulders. “The worst part is trying to keep up an appearance every day.”, says Arina in grade 9, “especially when I have like 4 f#####g tests that week.”
Even though peer pressure, bullying, or teasing are still really huge problems for teenagers, currently many adolescents experience anxiety and loneliness. “I haven’t experienced this that badly, but I’ve seen like some of the students with this problem.” Jade adds after asking her about bullying.
However, despite all the negativity towards school, amongst all the hate students have said some good things regarding their time in school albeit a bit sarcastically, “I just love all the homework and exams every day.”, adds Daniel in grade 9.
A large group of students agree that a more organized schedule would help improve their mental strength and help enjoy their school experience more. Instead of piling all the assessments in a single week, spreading them out with enough time between each exam would provide the students with the ability to focus on each individual exam thus producing better results.
“Like, if I didn’t have science exam on Tuesday and a math test the day after, I could actually work for both rather than one.”, Thalia stresses after learning we have three tests lined up for next week.
The idea of having mental health days is becoming more and more appealing to students as their studies get harder. “My bed is too comfy; I’m not getting out of it to take a math test for it on a Monday morning.” Arina adds after hearing about next weeks tests. Another suggestion would be to offer better counseling services to establish a healthier environment for the student body.
There are many parts of school which have huge impacts on our mental and physical health that can follow us through our entire life. It is agreeable that social and academic expectations can be the heaviest weight to bear for students and is some of the major reasons of stress and anxiety. It is vital for students to understand the balance between their school life and well-being.