The Kids Are Overworked
“Being put on a pedestal causes students to think that if they fall, they are disappointing and they aren’t as good as before. This causes ongoing mental health battles with students. They are trying to put smiles on other people’s faces, instead of putting a smile on their own face.”
School now is not the same as before. There are so many changes in the school environment. There’s an increase of technology usage in school, more interactive learning, and more collaboration.
But one thing that feels like it has changed is the amount of tests and school work that students are receiving. Students seem to have more work now than ever. Students are being quizzed and or tested on the knowledge they learned in classes at least 2-3 times a week.
Some may think that this is normal because it's high school, but is it really normal?
Yes, there is a lot to learn before graduation and being considered an adult to the outside world, but at the same time, students have lives outside of just doing school work. Students also have mental health bars above their heads, just as adults do. And they are running on empty. Students deserve to have a break from just being seen as students.
Students have hard lives just as adults do. Students spend about seven to nine hours at school and on school work, and sometimes they spend even more time, depending if they do a sport or have after school activities. Students have priorities at home as well, whether it be taking care of a family member, working to help out with bills, and or just keeping pocket money. The last thing a student wants to worry about when they get home from school is the pile of homework for that day that's due the next day.
Students are not getting enough time to themselves to decompress. Students are constantly on the go. There’s no break in between. Others put students at a high standard, making them feel as if they need to keep going to keep them happy, not realizing that they are putting that student’s own happiness at fault.
Being put on a pedestal causes students to think that if they fall, they are disappointing and they aren’t as good as before. This causes ongoing mental health battles with students. They are trying to put smiles on other people’s faces, instead of putting a smile on their own face.
Self care days are highly essential, and it is very important to take time for yourself to regenerate. Everyone’s self care days are different. You have to do what makes you the happiest, to make sure that you are maintaining your mental health. Putting you and your mental health first is important.
Students have to learn that there are times to put their books down and make sure they are making room for themselves. It is important to make sure there is time each day for yourself. Students shouldn’t be going to bed at 1 AM because of homework or not finishing classwork. Students need to have a set time for them to get some sleep because it is very unhealthy for them to go to bed doing work and waking up early to do the same thing over again. Taking time to do what you want personally is very important.
Personally, sometimes I am very overwhelmed with the amount of school work I have at times. I feel like that's the only thing I am making my life about. I start to not do anything for myself, and all my routines and personal cares get pushed back due to how tired and burned out I am from that week. Sometimes when my mom sees me like that, she tends to get very worried. She tries anything in her power to make sure that I am feeling more refreshed by Sunday so I can have a positive attitude on Monday morning. And on top of that, sometimes it hurts me that she gets worried because I feel that he has so much on her mind, and I don't want to add on to her stress because I am overworked and mentally, physically and emotionally drained.
I also wanted to interview students from different schools to see if students from different schools feel the same way.
I asked the following questions to the students: do you feel as if students are being overworked? Have you ever felt overworked, and if so what do you do to bring yourself back to a better state?
My first interviewee goes to school at CSH. His answer to the first question was that yes, he feels that students are beginning to be overworked. He feels that the school tries to give students more of a college feel throughout their 4 years, and students are given loads of work and expected to get it done within a certain time frame. He feels he does a lot as a student between AP classes, student volunteer work, and internships. Because of all of that he feels that school work is overwhelming. He feels that mental health isn’t a concern in the school world. He answered the second question by saying that he may take a day off from school if his mentality is really taking a toll. He also pauses on his homework, and takes care of his personal needs, and converses with his family then proceeds to do his homework later with a better mental state.
The next student that I interviewed was from Success Academy. I asked my interviewee the questions as well. She started off by saying that she does feel that she is being overworked. She feels that the school pushes people to the edge which is really stressful. The work never ends, even when they have spring break they have massive packets from different classes that are due the day they get back and sometimes even due during the break. She also said that they force you into AP classes when you start 8th grade and begin moving through your high years. She spoke about how she doesn’t really know how to cope because it is so much at one time. She feels there is just too much pressure and too much going on to the point where she just always finds herself doing school work. She doesn’t take much time away from her school work for herself. Her mom has to come and get her from the computer, submitting assignments.
I was completely shocked by the difference in the two schools. There’s a big difference in how each school runs. But I did notice that both students are still pushed past their limits. As staff in schools, you have to really know all of your students and have check-ins with them about their mentality, because sometimes it's not always there. Teachers must be mindful of how much work they are giving students and how much they can take at once. Lots of high school students are drained due to all the work they have do, and they need time for themselves to have mental breaks. We want more students to have a better mentality so they can view life with joy rather than stress.