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Writer's pictureHelen Vella

7th Grade, Good Years, or Stress years? Coping with kids in grade school

13 year old overwhelmed and stressed with school and homework…….

anxiety cycle

7th grade seems to be the grade with the most work says a 13 year old, she says I don’t have a life at all.

I get up at 6.00 am, in class at 7.00am ,work until 3.00pm and then get homework which I do not finish until late in the evening –  Plus I have projects to do as well.

When it comes to spring break or summer break there is no break for me, more homework and more projects, do the teachers not realize I need a break to be a kid sometimes.  I am so overwhelmed and stressed and if I do not work hard at this grade then I will not get into high school. (says my teacher)

These are the words of a just turned 13 year old who is in gifted and advanced classes also a straight A student with awards and Principals honor rolls.

The highest rates of suicides for kids is 12 to 13 years old.  Is the school system adding to the stress and anxiety of today’s kids?

  1. Suicide rates among 10 to 14-year-olds have grown more than 50 percent over the last three decades. (The American Association of Suicidology, AAS)

Why do they have to get up at 6.00 am at such a young age and why do they get so much homework to do?

I am all for good education but I have seen the load of homework these kids have from as early as 6 years old, I realize this teaches them responsibility, deadlines etc but shouldn’t the teachers get together and work out what each of them are doing and spread the homework so it is more even.  Spread the exams – have them start school later so they get enough sleep to be able to cope with the day.

When they get to 16 + then they should start school early, they seem to have it all mixed, the young kids have to be in school early and the older kids get to school later.

I also realize there are the kids who are over achievers and have to have A’s all the time and put themselves under great pressure making sure everything they do is perfect.  This leads to them really being stressed and overwhelmed.

What is the answer,? the system is in place and probably very challenging to change.

On a daily basis I am sure the teachers themselves could alleviate the situation by actually looking at work loads and making sure they do not all have their projects and exams at the exact same time.

The children could be helped by their parents and be taught coping skills for high work loads and long days.  The parents could also help by speaking to the school if they think the workload is too much for the kids.

Talk to the kids, find out how they are really feeling about life in general, some kids take life and their surroundings a lot more seriously than others.  You will never regret listening to a child and finding out how they feel and how they see their lives.

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Don’t let this be your child, talk but most importantly – LISTEN

Most of the teachers I know are terrific at their jobs and I feel for some of them as their hands are tied because of politics and more.  BUT I also know there are teachers who are great teachers but forget the age they are teaching and the pressure they put on these young people.

I don’t profess to know all the answers but what I know is what I see first hand from the kids and how these kids are coping in todays world.

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