Teens robbed of high school experience

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Alyssa Boos

Kalie Kleiner, sophomore, working hard on a Berlin presentation about the Sachsenhausen Konsentrationslager, concentration camp. Kleiner believes school has been more stressful than Freshman year, saying, “I do not agree to the Sophomore year is the easiest year saying.” (Photo by Alyssa Boos)

When thinking about the high school experience, most people will think about football games, and dances. However, the high school experience now includes depressed teens, anxiety-filled days, and suicidal thoughts.

An issue with the education system is the stress teens carry. Students take advanced classes, sports, and join clubs. The system feels like a competition. Say the competition is to get an A in math, and one child is advanced at math. The other one isn’t good at math, but they’re amazing at art. They’re unequal in ability to achieve the goal, and unbalanced leads to to more stress and no motivation.

Parents aren’t as involved with their children’s learning as they’ve been. A teacher in a class of twenty can only teach for a class period, and parents need to help their children after school and during the weekend. Reading with children, or helping with homework are ways of improving what they’ve learned and helping them retain their knowledge. Asking about the child’s day or asking if the child has any problems at school can help lower the rates for anxiety and depression, and allow parents to help students solve any problems they’re facing.

Parents and students should become more educated on suicide, and the symptoms of anxiety and depression, instead of not talking about them. Symptoms are depression are trouble concentrating, feeling helpless, and thoughts of suicide. Anxiety includes sleeping problems, trouble thinking, feeling weak, and a sense of panic. It is important that if symptoms show up in a child, that their parents seek help in some way.

Addressing the issues lying in the American education system can decrease the worries or fears of unfair competition, absent parents, and depressed teens. Teens can get back to dances, football games, and get back the high school experience.