The first semester is about to end. High school students start to worry about their grades. Coming up tests and projects occupy the students from sleeping early. Without a good result, students start pressuring themselves.
High school students stress for reasons like grades, extracurricular activities, and lack of sleep. They aren’t occupied with only homework and projects, but have other activities that they do. “I play basketball at school and I come home late from practice,” said Kaitlin Lee, a sophomore at Arnold O. Beckman High School. “I only have one AP class this year, but because of basketball, I barely have time to study for my tests because I’m tired after practices. However, basketball can sometimes help me relieve my stress.” Sports take a lot of time especially when it is in season. It keeps them from studying for their classes. Playing sports can help them relieve stress but it keeps the students up through the night. Sleep and stress are connected with each other. The National Sleep Foundation said, “Sleep is food for your brain. Some consequences that might come out from not sleeping early are lack of concentration at school.” Not concentrating at school can be why grades drop, pressuring students more.
Many parents want their students to have a good future. When a letter grade drops, the students put pressure onto themselves and their grades. “I get a lot of stress when I receive a bad grade in one of my class,” said Jessica Le, a sophomore at Arnold O. Beckman High School. “It is because my parents just expect a good grade from me. Not only that, but if I don’t get good grades, I feel like I’m letting not only my parents down but also myself down. When I don’t get good grades I feel pressured.” There are many reasons why students stress more when grades drop. Throughout the high school life, many changes happen. Researches from the hospitals said, “Stress is defined as the way our bodies and minds react to life changes. Since adolescence is a period of significant change, including physical, emotional, social, and academic changes, many teens are under more stress than at any other time of life.” Stress and pressure won’t go away until a change is made by the students. Teens want and need the sleep to be proud in the end.
