Essay On Stress In High School

TAMPA FL-As this school year comes to a close for many, a new beginning is discovered for many middle school students. These students, who are all in the 8th grade at Christ the King Catholic School, are excited for their journey to high school, but has left many feeling stressed and anxious. Especially with the constant chaos of the COVID-19 pandemic, students are having trouble keeping calm with all the changes happening around them. Some reasons why students may feel stress during this transition are because they must take strenuous placement tests, and the pressure to make new friends in this new social environment.

For example, many students at this school are going to rigorous private schools in the area, each requiring a passing grade on its placement test. As a result of this, many students have been stressfully studying and preparing for these exams, losing focus of other important aspects of their life. 8th grade student Jackson Wuthrick said, "I was extremely stressed out during the time I prepared for the test. I remember seeing my grades drop because I had so little time to focus on actual school with the time I spent studying." This quote shows just how much pressure is put on these students to pass this exam, that they notice their grades getting lower because of how much time is spent on preparing for this assessment.

Another reason why many of these students feel stress during their transition to high school is the fact that many of these adolescents must make new friends. Although this comes easily to some, many of these teenagers will have difficulties making friends throughout their journey in high school. According to the CDC, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, "More than 1 in 3 high school students had experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2019, a 40 percent increase since 2009." This statistic gives insight into just how difficult navigating a social life in a new environment can be, especially while having to balance so much else in our lives. Some students have begun thinking about this daunting task, even before their middle school journey ends. "I'm really nervous about being in a whole new social setting," 8th grader Jesse Cogburn tells us, "Even though a lot of my friends are going to the same high school as me, I know it'll still be different than at Christ the King."

As you can see, placement tests and a new social environment are just some examples of reasons why middle school students moving on to high school feel stress. Still, one question remains: what can we do to help these adolescents? The answer is simple: just talk to them. If your child is struggling with this transition to high school, all you have to do is ask them about what's going on. No two children will have the same experience, so the best thing you can do is find out the source of their stress by just talking with your kid.