Students are involved in activities, jobs, and other organizations outside of school, and having to juggle all of those activities plus school work can really push kids over their limit.

Aside from schooling, many students are involved with activities outside of school such as sports, clubs, jobs, volunteering and other time-consuming activities. Students also need free time in order to do homework and have time for themselves. Students have become experts at finding ways to balance everything and getting it all done.
“I do not [have an ideal amount of free time]. I spend an average [of] three to four hours on homework [every night].” Freshman Jordyn Wright said.

Often times, when students try to balance their lives between school, jobs, and clubs ,they forget about the most important things simply because they don’t have time. Students forget that having spare time is equally as important as school work. Having a lack of free time can lead to an increased level of stress.

Studies have shown that it is important for teens to get at least eight hours of sleep. This is hard to accomplish when students don’t get home until 9:00 p.m. and must start homework immediately. Even if students start homework as soon as they get home, they can still be up late. This puts kids in a predicament when it comes to choosing between sleeping or getting good grades.

Many times students must choose studying over basic necessities such as eating or sleeping. They make these decisions based on their aspiration to succeed, not only for themselves, but also for others. Although the goal for students is to succeed, it can be difficult to do so when they are tired.

Of course, not getting home until late only applies to some students who happen to be involved in a variety of activities.

“As far as clubs go, I’m in DECA (as chapter president and State Treasurer), President of Physics Club, Math League and NHS. Additionally, I participate in jazz band and countless other activities,” Senior Louis Dubovi said.
While some students find it necessary to hold a job all year round, others focus solely on their education.
“I do not have a job during the school year because, to me, school is my job,” Dubovi said.

Some kids put so much time and effort into school and extracurricular activities that they don’t have time to breathe and relax. Kids no longer have time to be kids before they have to take on the responsibilities of an adult.

“Ideally I would like to finish my homework in an hour or two, study for a little less, and then have the rest of my night free. In reality, some nights I end up with four hours of homework, while other times (much less frequently) I end up with none,” Dubovi said.

Balancing school with everything students do outside of the classroom is extremely difficult. Speaking from a student’s point of view it doesn’t seem to get easier. There is only one question that remains, how much is too much?