With ever-increasing pressure mounting on students, many feel burnt out and are unable to keep up with all of the work they need to accomplish. Difficult classes, pressures of college, jobs, and extra circulars, paired with the fact that students rarely sleep the recommended hours, all leave students drained and unable to work to their fullest potential.
While burnout is something that used to be common for seniors, with all different types of stresses weighing down on 16 and 17 year-olds, it is no wonder that by the start of summer, “senioritis” is already kicking in for many seniors and each year continues to drag on.
“The pressures of college…deciding what we want to do in life, and studying for SATs is difficult,” said Isabella Simmons, a current junior at Canton High School, who has many extracurriculars on her plate as she begins researching possible colleges. She even looks to the upcoming spring break and thinks how it was once spent as a vacation to get away from school stresses, but this year, it will most likely be filled with college tours and planning for her future.
Why is this stress being placed on students at this age? Many parents can look back and enjoy their experience in high school, rather than staying up all night cramming for endless tests. Parents simply want to help their kids but if often don’t know just how exhausting the pressures of school are compared to generations prior.
The average high school student spends about 3.5 hours each night on homework. This paired with the fact that many students have two hours of sports or clubs following the seven hour school day. While some see this as a way to prepare students for the real world, how many adults can say they work eleventh hour days and wake up early for the next day.
One current high school senior, Sarah Bowman has been working hard her entire career, but finds that senior year has been difficult. “After applying to all of my colleges, it is difficult to stay motivated and excited to come to school each day,” she said.
Many students are finding the stress and all different components of their life to be too much. While things such as social media and the internet have been blamed for problems regarding teens and young adults, perhaps we should reevaluate the amount of responsibilities that is put on young teens, and see if we can draw any connections to lethargic behavior.