Adults may be underestimating a large percentage of high school students who are trudging through hall after hall with the unforgiving weight of books and papers taking their toll, filling students backs and shoulders with strain and the weight of responsibility. 

   These classrooms for far too many students, don’t only offer educational opportunities, but – as the work piles up – can add to an endless to-do list. That to-do list includes, school work, sports, student jobs, clubs and extracurriculars. The drudgery is not left at the door when the students leave the school, for some, this commitment goes beyond the 3:31 bell and the only hours of sanction occur after the books are put away and sleep falls upon them after hours of studying for tomorrow’s endeavors. 

  All these different activities put together play a key role in most of these students’ lives – not to mention finding time to spend with family and friends.

    Is this becoming too much for busy students to cope with? 

   Some students may face different situations in which they need to have a steady income. With this, comes the challenge of students needing to work after school or on weekends. Financial issues force a job to be a priority. For some students, fun time is kept to a minimum or none at all.

   Kids are expected to make the right decisions about what activity to choose over the other. These can be difficult and stressful choices to make. Because they don’t want to miss opportunities or being involved, some students overbook their schedule, causing large amount of stress.

   It is no surprise that high school students are stressed but the numbers don’t lie. As reported in “NYU Study Examines Top High School Students’ Stress and Coping Mechanisms” on NYU.edu, an NYU questionnaire regarding teen stress and coping mechanisms fund that nearly half (49 percent) of all students reported feeling a generous amount of stress on a daily basis and 31 percent reported feeling somewhat stressed.

   These are things that often get brushed aside because it is considered ‘normal’ for a teenager to feel stressed in any situation and it is just a part of growing up, but who deciphers what is a serious amount of stress and what is a ‘normal’ amount?

  The fact is that, while we are learning to prioritize and find balance, we are still kids and need the support of the adults in our lives help us navigate these waters.