“It is more difficult to be a teenager now than it was back then. It is due to time management, recent events with the economy, new 21st century skills, and social media creating unhealthy relationships and expectations with others,” says Becker Assistant Principal, Mark Kolbinger. Thus, he provides his opinion upon what triggers high school stress. A Becker High School student survey conducted this summer suggests 92% of the students claim time management, bullying and the issue of fitting in with peers greatly contributes to this high school stress. These issues are over-looked despite their significance to a student’s everyday life. The student survey, with Kolbinger’s analysis, has bestowed a new array of opinions.
Stress is an increasing issue at Becker High School, says the majority of students interviewed. Besides bullying and fitting in, there are stressors related to time management. All students interviewed say homework overloads is the most stressful factor. With higher expectations to meet, balancing homework, a job, and other after-school activities can be quite a challenge. A high school junior, Megan Murphy, claims teachers fail to understand that motivation does not exist when there is an assignment to finish at 11 o’clock at night. Also, five out of the six students suggest that their homework deadlines were often unclear throughout their high school career. However, each student applies similar solutions to the problems. Most suggest a planner or calendar, a study hall, frequent teacher-to-student communication, and less homework would improve the overwhelming situation.
A 2014 graduate, Sara Leistico, has different ideas that may provide benefits to the high school. She claims class activities would essentially “get the learning done,” and there is no need for excessive amounts of homework. She also believes a “college-based” atmosphere would guide students to success. With a syllabus, there would be no deadline confusion, and with more freedom, she would not have felt like a “prisoner” forced to sit down at all times. In her opinion, a few changes need to be made in Becker High School in order to lower stress.
Besides the time management factor, can bullying’s effects add to the load? Though bullying has not necessarily increased over the years, all of the students interviewed say cyber and verbal bullying has become the most common. Whether it be by socially slamming someone else, spreading rumors, making snide comments or hurting someone through the media, bullying has become secretive. Kolbinger also agreed hiding behind a screen has become popular, and that makes punishment difficult to effect. After the new, anti-bullying law was passed April 9, 2014 in Minnesota, the punishments were restricted. The law states if electronic behavior outside of school disrupts learning during the school day, only then, can extreme disciplinary actions be enforced.
However, Kolbinger institutes many actions to help someone being bullied even if he cannot always provide discipline. Through this new bullying policy, he has the authority to give verbal warnings, detention or suspension. He can even send the bullier and his or her parents to an anti-bullying program. Kolbinger also emphasizes the new additions to bullying awareness from the 2013-2014 school year. With a closer focus on mental health, he believes that an advisory class, the We Care Club, student council, National Honor Society, and the senior class, in general, did a great job of promoting positive school culture. But, a group of positive students can be ignored when there are cliques involved.
In the survey, all of the students interviewed claim Becker High School has cliques, or different groups of people who leave others out. In fact, 50% of the students either have issues, or have had issues with fitting in to a particular group throughout their high school career. Four out of the six students interviewed have felt left out from certain groups due to the idea that they try to be someone they are not. This goes hand in hand with bullying, which also adds to high school stress. The most common reason for harassment is due to that pressure to fit in. A Becker High School graduate of 2013, Barry Inman, states, “If you are popular, you do everything in your power to maintain your status, even if that means hurting others.”
However, a 2014 graduate, Nick Langlais, has a few words of advice for Becker High Schoolers conforming to teenage society: Ignore how society claims be “cool.” The “regular” crowd is way more fun and cool, and people need to understand that being themselves makes them awesome, and they will find people who love that. Meet as many new people as you can, he says. “The people in our lives are like a library with so many different covers, genres, and labels. Read them all, and that will help you understand people, and overall better yourself.” With those words of wisdom to keep in mind, the high school stress might diminish.
Even though time management, bullying, and cliques are closely related to high school stress, there are ways to improve these issues in a simpler manner than one may think, says Austin Hill. He believes the main source of development is through communication. If teachers and students communicate with each other, new ideas upon high school schedules and bullying awareness can be brought to the surface. Similarly, if students communicate with each other face to face, values and attitudes can enhance over time. Human interaction is the best way to find the root of a problem.
