High school is nothing like it used to be, and most adults don’t get that. Even people who graduated just a few years ago often say that things have changed since they were in school. High school students today now have it a lot harder than people think, and it’s time to help the adults in our lives understand.

In high schools today, students are being pushed to load up on the hardest advanced classes and take on as many extracurricular activities as possible to boost their college résumés. This means a lot of homework, on top of sports, and working at least a part time job. This leaves very little free time at all, which can be stressful. Imagine getting up early for school, then going straight to practice from 3-5, and then heading straight to work for the rest of the night – only to go home shower and then do homework and study. Keeping up with that schedule five days a week, every week, is more tiring than it looks.

Teachers care about their students, but I don’t think they understand the stress that some of us go through. They always complain when you show up late, and when you explain that you were late because you were trying to catch up on sleep or just needed a break, they just don’t get it. If teachers and parents understood how much most students go through, then they would be able to help relieve some of our stress instead of adding it on.

Another thing that most teachers don’t seem to understand is when you need more time on an assignment. When you ask for more time, teachers are very short with you and say things like “Well, you don’t have to play sports” or “You could have done your homework after work.” They don’t understand that we have lives outside of school and our extracurriculars. Maybe our home life isn’t the best, and we have things that we have to take care of at home. Maybe that’s why we have a job. Most teachers think that we don’t have lives outside of school, and when you try and make them understand, they shut it down so they don’t look bad.

The moral of this article is to help adults understand that we aren’t just kids who only have school to worry about. Other than just our schoolwork, we also have to worry about our appearance, social life, work, sports, home life, and a lot of other things.

So, when we say we need a break or when we show up late, please don’t jump down our throats. Ask us if we are okay.