Are High School Students Too Busy?

Taking a break from the common core debate, let us entertain the question of "are high school students too busy?" High school students have a lot on their plates between academics; sports; clubs; extra music lessons; any recitals, meets, or games; tests and exams; family time; homework; and not to mention getting community hours to put on college applications, all while trying to get a good night's rest and not spend time stressed out. Yeah, right.

I am a senior in high school and I never thought I would be this swamped. I take college classes every morning and half a full high school load on top of that. I founded and serve as president of the French club, am an NHS officer, co-captain of the school's color guard, an active member of choir, and additionally take many honors and AP classes as well as music lessons outside of school. After I get out of my 7 AM- 3PM school day, and my 3 PM- 5 PM clubs, then I get to start my homework that takes me anywhere from 7PM to 10 PM to complete each night.

I am busy all. The. Time. And yet I would not have it any other way. I take pride in how busy I am and enjoy trying to balance everything. That being said, this type of lifestyle is not for every high school student.

The Washington Post was able to interview an expert and see her perspective of things.

            "Anisha Abraham, who works at Georgetown University Hospital as chief of adolescent medicine and in a school-based clinic at the District's Woodson High School, said she routinely encounters students who go from a full day of classes to a job in a fast-food restaurant that ends at 11 p.m.

'These kids have no time for themselves,' Abraham said. A growing number of the teenagers she sees complain of similar symptoms: exhaustion, headaches, stomach problems, depression and irritability, a consequence of so little free time. 'Our teenagers are becoming more over-scheduled and over-stressed.'" (washingtonpost.com)

The report goes on to say that, most of the time, the stress comes from the parents pushing their children to be competitive and always busy and

"They contend that some BlackBerry-tethered parents, who equate being constantly busy with being successful in their own lives, compete to see whose kids can cram in the most activities: pre-dawn swim practice, weekend travel soccer tournaments, elite ballet classes, Mandarin lessons, SAT tutoring sessions. Unstructured time, which experts say is essential to figuring out who one is and what one wants, tends to be regarded as laziness or being unproductive.

'Our definition of what makes a kid successful has become unbearably narrow,' said California psychologist Madeline Levine. . ."

As consequences to being over worked, students get very little free time during the summer and some even end up skipping meals to fit in more classes.

I have a hard time balancing things always, but it works out somehow. I think the reason it works out is because it isn't pushed on me by my parents, but everything I do is something I enjoy and want to excel at. 

Quotes: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/07/14/ST2008071401579.html​