By Madeline L., Seventh Grade, Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation
Students’ stress levels are always tested. High expectations coupled with hours of homework, extracurricular activities, social pressures and a lack of downtime can cause students to get very stressed or overwhelmed. Teachers and parents, however, do not always notice when a student becomes too pressured and may mistakenly think they are not putting forth enough effort.
Students’ stress levels can affect the learning process. Putting too much pressure on a child to do everything perfectly and get every answer correct can have long-term implications. Students who feel that they have to get top grades and never make mistakes will suffer from high stress levels, making it harder for them to learn or understand things in the future.
According to data scientist Imed Bouchrika, “Three quarters (75%) of American high schoolers and half of middle schoolers described themselves as ‘often or always feeling stressed’ by schoolwork.”
Lily M., a seventh grade student at Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation (KSDS), discussed her stress levels and coping strategies. According to Lily, her most challenging class is Hebrew “because it’s a different language.” For Lily, feeling stressed and overwhelmed share similar qualities. “Feelings of stress and being overwhelmed are basically the same thing, because I feel the same way when I feel stressed or overwhelmed,” Lily explained.
For Lily, a distraction to learning is colorful posters around the classroom. “When I’m taking a test and I’m stressed, I usually look around to see who’s finished, which stresses me out even more. Then looking out the window or at posters gets me more distracted.” Most teachers think that putting colorful posters around their classrooms encourages students to work hard and to do their best in that class, but for some students all it does is distract them.
Also, according to Lily, it is easier to work in school than at home. “In school, there are teachers around. Because parents don’t know the curriculum, having a teacher nearby is more helpful.”
Hannah H., another seventh grade KSDS student, explained that her coping strategies for stress are to “sit in [her] room because it is quiet and nobody interrupts [her] in there. [She] just gets to work and tries not to get distracted by other things.”
According to Hannah, “As someone with anxiety who always feels like I need to escape, taking a test alone or away from everybody else definitely helps.”
From Hannah’s perspective: “Teachers can help accommodate students’ needs by letting them sit somewhere where they feel most comfortable.” According to her, “I consider too much work to be homework on a day when I’m really far behind or on a day when I didn’t finish my classwork.”
Hannah likes to “take things one step at a time,” which seems to be good advice for all teens feeling the stress of school, activities, and peer pressure. Deep breaths and take one step at a time.
Madeline L. is a seventh grade student at the Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation.
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