Nowadays high school isn’t just about getting an education. High school consists of excelling in your sports, grades, clubs, extracurriculars, part-time jobs and social lives. The message forced upon us in high school is obvious: in order to succeed you need to have it all. In all seriousness the pressure of all these accumulating tasks is crushing us.
From the moment I wake up to the moment I fall asleep I am constantly surrounded by the pressure of making varsity as an athlete, keeping straight A’s, volunteering in the community and being on time to student council meetings. Sometimes even picking out an outfit feels overwhelming.
Students are burnt out and we’re only halfway through the school year. The little amount of free time we find in our busy schedules is often spent cleaning the house or doing homework. School causes anxiety to skyrocket, social lives to plummet and that childhood spark to disappear. Having no down time causes creativity, passion and self worth to dwindle, ultimately damaging our overall well being.
The pressure that develops and builds up is often invisible to adults who forgot how difficult high school really is. The standards set by parents, who don’t realize the toll they’re taking, can add a fear of not wanting to disappoint and can cause relationships to become strained and rigid. Society has created an idea that success is perfect and creates an environment where kids are taking on a never ending battle for success.
Success should be about finding something you’re passionate about and not about completing the never ending checklist of social activities, sports practice, and school assignments. Schools should value kids’ mental health and genuine interest. Parents need to recognize when kids are being overwhelmed by too many aspects of life and offer help instead of being annoyed when their kids are too tired to communicate. As a society we should value quality of life and not how much we accomplish.
High school is a time to find what you’re passionate about and what you want to pursue, not trying to see how much you can cram into your schedule. Continuing this “have it all” mentality is making students lose the important things like creativity, passion and the childhood spark. We shouldn’t have to sacrifice our well being to keep up with impossible standards set for us. Kids should enjoy being young and not just survive it.
