Hello fellow Pirates! I know stress is most likely the number one problem in our lives right now because of the most wonderful place we would definitely call our second home: school. Just kidding…Anyways, it’s the first quarter and usually that’s one of the toughest times for us to get in the swing of things. We are getting used to our new teachers and the classes we’re in, but the one thing we care about the most… GOOD GRADES; well at least most of us… Trying to maintain and actually keep a good grade in our classes’ triggers an overload of stress in our lives. Having to deal with so many other things in our lives doesn’t make it any easier either; extracurricular activities, our social lives, doing sports, getting or working at a job, having time to relax and take time out for yourself, and many other factors in our life which school just seem to drown out of us. Plus the homework that we are required to do doesn’t help either… I honestly don’t understand how teachers can tell us that they understand the stress and other circumstances we’re under but then drop like 3 assignments and schedule a test on us that are due less than a week. Although teachers assign work that stresses us out, it stresses them out as well. Teachers have to make sure that we are able to understand the curriculum, and are capable of passing the exam at the end of the year so we can be successful. Teachers also have to grade so many papers and deal with deplorable students who don’t cooperate in class, causing the teachers to stress.

The work we receive causes us to get overly stressed, and when we begin to stress we become very frustrated, and when we become frustrated it begins to reflect on our grades, and when it starts to reflect on our grade, we begin to build up more stress, and the cycle of stress just never ends. Feeling stressed isn’t something you would want to feel, take it from me… I have a headache every night from coming home from school and then doing more homework for another 6 hours or so, and if I feel like I just can’t function and need a break for that night, I instantly become behind in my work. Stress isn’t cool and it’s also bad for your health and appearance. Hopefully one of these days, we’ll all get through our “stressful phase” for a bit and be able to breathe, but until then, good luck Pirates and hang in there!