Post here for "Therapy Dogs and Homework". Due Friday, February 8.
Read the article attached above or from Edmodo (two versions there -- annotated or plain) and respond with a lectio. (As such, the grade will appear in the "Writing" category.) You may respond here, or in regular lectio fashion via the "In Basket" in class.
There are a couple of points I'm especially interested in: 1) on a scale of 1-10, where would you put your stress? 2) at what age or grade did it start? 3) which, if any, of the solutions proposed in the article would you like to see? 4) what else might be a good way to reduce stress in school/your life?
But, as with any good lectio, the most important part is finding "the word or phrase that captures your attention".
On a scale of one to ten, I’d put my stress at a five or six, as of recently. However, there have been numerous times where It’s well surpassed ten. I wouldn’t want to say that this stress is necessarily a huge issue; I guess I’ve just always accepted it as an unfortunate reality of our society. We gotta keep up with Japan somehow.
ReplyDeleteNot to say that our system doesn’t suck and isn’t stressful, because it totally does/ is and I’ve been through many periods of asking myself what the point of it all is anyway, wasting night after night, year after year freaking out over ambiguous assignments that surmount to nothing in the scheme of things, rather than cherishing each day of my life to the fullest.
It’s one of those things I push to the back of my mind because the system is essentially unchangeable and I’ll just have to accept it. In order to enjoy your life, you’ll have to suck it up and get somewhere, first.
I guess I started noticing it when I reached seventh grade. That year was really pivotal for me in a sense that I realized how easy it is to do poorly and have your peers mock you for it. Suddenly, grades mattered, math had the alphabet, and I had no idea what I was trying to absorb anymore.
“I’ll be honest. I’m guilty. I don’t take a day off,” she says. “But at some point, we just have to stop — and prioritize — and teach our children to do the same.”
This line stood out to me the most, because as I read it, my only thought was, “If you’re privileged enough to take a day off.” All I could think was that some people can’t stop and “prioritize,” because their priorities are putting food on the table and an extra shift. And to me, that was an indication of the type of society we live in. We have to have a, “go, go, go,” mindset, we have to be under constant stress and work hard and get good grades and be successful, otherwise we can’t take the time out to do the things that are the most important- maintain a relationship, be a model parent, or express the love that everyone deserves to have.
And it sickens me, knowing I won’t be able to do anything I thoroughly enjoy until I can afford it; That I have to spend my youth wasting time and doing assignment after assignment and eating stress for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all so that I can maybe not be stressed out when I’m older.
Homework free nights would be cool. Same with having a dog running around our school. Recess would be awesome.
However, (and let me be completely unrealistic), I think the only solution for reducing stress would be to reduce expectations of one another as a whole. We only find the need to progress because we’re competing with everyone else around us. But, I mean, if everyone’s stressed out, and people are generally unhappy with their lives, why do we still compete and strive to be the best? Why do we comply with this system? We’re the ones who made it up in the first place, why can’t we change it?
'You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?" ' George Bernard Shaw, playwright.
DeleteWhy not (be completely unrealistic)?
On a scale 1-10, I would put my stress level on a high 8. In between balancing homework and hanging out with friends, I also juggle a job once a week, an internship at the Tolland Middle School for ROPE (Rite Of Passage Experience) every day and depending on what season it is, the play or a sport. I don’t take easy classes either. I have taken Honors Spanish three years and A.P./Honors English three years also. I’m in NHS and even sing for my church on some Saturdays. I can totally connect with everyone in “Therapy Dogs” because there have been some nights where I go from play practice straight to work until 9:30, then do my homework and wake up at 6. There have been countless times where I just breakdown and cry over how stressed I am.
ReplyDeleteI think my stress started in seventh grade. I had to start worrying about my appearance and if I said one wrong thing that someone didn’t like, I was judged. People were cruel and it was no longer coloring for homework. Classes got harder, teachers got stricter, and suddenly, your “friends” weren’t your friends. I have had to balance friends, boyfriends, sports, play and school, and it hasn’t gotten easier over the years.
A solution that stood out to me the most was puppy therapy. Who doesn’t love puppies?! I have friends in college and during finals week they said they had puppy therapy too! I think having a nice ten minute break of playing with puppies would calm people down. Another solution I liked was homework free nights. Having no homework is literally a gift. The last thing you want to do when you get home from school, a sport or play practice is do homework. Having no homework would give you time to catch up on sleep and even just time for yourself. I can’t remember the last time I had time to just relax and do nothing. Even on weekends I’m pretty busy hanging out with family and friends. Plus who wants to do homework on weekends? Weekends should be a time of relaxation.
Raychelle Lohmann, a professional author, admitted that “I don’t take a day off.” I’m the same because personally, I would rather go to school sick than stay home. I get stressed out thinking about all the work that I’ve missed. I don’t have the time to give myself a break because there’s too much that I have to do.
I believe we should have more half days because they count as full days. You have time to do whatever you need to do before practice, work or anything else. They also give you time to yourself.
I think the best way to reduce stress in my life is to stop trying to be the best at everything. Of course, this would never happen because then there would be no competition at anything. Hypothetically though, if everyone stopped trying to out-do each other, I think the stress to be “perfect” would be gone. There is an image in everyone’s mind of what perfect should be like; girls should be skinny and beautiful, guys should be athletic with ripped bodies and both should have perfect hair, skin, etc. If only we could erase the image of perfection and embrace who we are and not care what others think, then I think we could succeed in being stress-free.
I gave up trying to be perfect a long time ago. (I'm still trying for "pretty good", but some days "good enough"'s got to get it done.)
Delete"The idea is to help them slow down and cope with their problems in an over packed, 24-7 world,” I have to agree with this quote. With everything going on around me my stress level is at 7 or 8. This year I have taken on some new activities such as the play and girls lacrosse. I am always on the run going from school, to play, to work, to the gym, and to homework. I also just got a puppy, and she needs to go out almost every hour once I'm home to run around and do her "business." I love everything I am part of, but sometimes it gets to be too much. I agree with Anna that I don't think homework should be given as much as it is. I understand the concept of practicing what we learned in school out of school, but we go to school for six hours a day Monday through Friday. We only get two days a week to relax which are Saturdays and Sundays. Preferably I would rather be with my friends than sitting at a computer or at my desk doing homework. Not to mention college is right around the corner, and I have been applying to as many scholarships as I can get my hands on. I just wish I could have one day out of the week where I don't need to think about school, college, drama, friends, and work.
ReplyDeleteI honestly loved this article! No homework nights! Yoga and relaxation classes during school! I only wish. These methods sound like great ways for students to clear there heads for a few hours. "The idea is to help them slow down and cope with their problems in an over packed, 24-7 world,” I completely agree. I feel that the reason some students don't perform so well in school sometimes is because of stress and the amount of things children need to balance at such a young age.
Having cute, cuddly dogs in our school would be a dream come true. I am definitely a dog person. When I am around my dogs, or just laying with them it’s so relaxing and just what I feel most students need. A dog is living, warm, friendly and just fun to be around. Dogs just seem to lift everyone’s spirits. Who wouldn't want dogs coming to school?
Some people are calling the senior year of high school the "crying year", and I couldn't agree more. I agree also with Carol Meerschaert who says that there is fear of children becoming burnt out because there has been pressure on children since elementary school. Elementary school was when it all began. The hard homework assignments, year round sports, and after school clubs. Today it seems to be a child you need to be a part of every activity you can. Nowadays colleges not only look at your grades, but also the amount of activities you are a part of. It's like adults want kids to become overwhelmed, stressed out young adults. Almost 10 percent of teens from 13 to 18 have anxiety disorders. If you think about it 10 percent is quite a lot of teens. Who wants anxiety disorders at such a young age? We still have our whole life ahead of us.
-Tori Cronin
Thank you three for "going public". You have plenty of company behind the scenes, believe me.
ReplyDeleteThe line that really got me in this is "“Things cycle for them so quickly. So it’s hard for them to be able to develop the patience, or the ability to think something through and to realize that it may take some time for it to get resolved,” says Douglas Berg, a social worker at Prospect High, where he and other staff are seeing more students hospitalized with anxiety and panic attacks related to stress."
ReplyDeleteI think the reason it stuck out to me more than anything else is because the notion that things cycle so quickly for us is so accurate, it's impossible to dispute it. As students, we are constantly on the go, 24/7. Wake up, get to school, go to class, go to next class, go to different class, go to yet another class, go home, sports, work, home responsibilities. And all of these activities are with different people, different teachers, coaches, bosses, etc. Some days, it feels like it's impossible to be still for a few minutes, just to take a breath. And everyone wonders why they feel like they can't breathe.
On a scale of 1-10, I'd personally rate my own stress at an average 5, with intermittent bursts of 50. The times I'm at a 5 are the times I manage to forget about all the impeding deadlines, assignments, and expectations, and just concentrate on the task at hand. If I can just focus on what's going on in the moment, I don't have to worry about everything hanging over my head. Of course, the times I'm at 50 are the times I give in to temptation and take a good look at everything I'm expected to do/be. I can't pinpoint the exact moment this started (if I had to, I'd says some time in 8th grade.)
In terms of things I'd like to see happen, yoga classes (as the article mentioned) and stress counseling are at the top of my list. Instead of increasing stress with traditional PE class (locker room stress, pressure to be as athletic as everyone else, general awkwardness), alternative fitness classes could allow a large decrease in stress. Also, instead of just offering counseling for school related issues, stress counseling would be so helpful. Just getting a moment to sit still and talk about whats stressing you out can be so helpful. Maybe get a cup of tea, play with some kittens. That seems to me like it'd help break the cycle of go, go, go.