The Negative

Sarah is an 11th grader involved scheduled in advanced courses and involved in several extracurricular programs.

  1. But is stress always a bad thing? Stress can serve as a very powerful motivator. It can motivate students to accomplish things and finish things they might not have thought they could.
  2. But isn’t there a possibility that the piles and piles of work they get comes from procrastinating or not managing their time well? There are a lot of students that procrastinate. Procrastination is what causes the stress, not the work. Poor time management causes students to lose their social life.
  3. Our school has many scholar athletes and hardworking students who balance many extracurricular activities and sports. I know students who play sports every season and get involved in many clubs while maintaining a great social life and academic life. Not only that, Schools offer many different course tracks and help for those who may struggle. Guidance Counselors, social workers and teachers are all very understanding when it comes to the circumstances of different students.
  4. That’s a little exaggerated. If a student is so concerned about missing notes from a class period because they need to talk to an adult, they could always do it after school, that option is available. Students who have a good work ethic are very successful and that’s seen with many of our students who volunteer, play sports, and participate in different clubs while maintaining a great social life.
  5. I understand that you think we can’t assume that all students are truthful about their stress, but we also can’t assume that all students lie about their stress either.
  6. I’m sure there are a small number of students that feel that way over the workload, but the majority of students do handle it well. And at the end of the day most students in each class end up graduating. For most students, they will look back at their high-school career and cherish it knowing that it was a great time in their life even if they can’t see it now.
  7. I agree with that point.