Stress is a widespread problem in our world today, affecting younger generations now more than ever. According to Research.com, “On a 10-point scale [measuring stress], where normal values for adults are 3.8, American teens rated their stress rate at an average score of 5.8.” Inside Chamblee High School, stress isn’t something the school is scared to talk about through assemblies, slide presentations, counseling lectures, etc., but stress among students and teachers still very much exists. Tackling stress is not easy, and it needs to be addressed. Teachers and students alike try to do their best to manage and cope with it.
When interviewed, students said their main cause of stress was school, specifically homework. Kinzi Neal (‘26) said the most stressful thing is the fact that teachers often fail to understand student workload outside of the classroom.
“[Something that makes me stressed is] the fact that we have seven classes and… each teacher gives a whole bunch of homework, as if we don’t have… six other classes to juggle it with, and then they get mad if it’s not on time,” said Neal.
Neal said she copes with this school stress through her involvement in cheer. Many high school students use sports and extracurricular activities to get their minds off of the academic pressure.
Teachers alike use (physical) activity to cope with the stressors of their job. Zachary Welser, an English teacher at CHS, says he runs multiple times a week to get his mind off the stressful aspects of school. He says the most stressful part of the job isn’t the lesson planning or the students themselves, but the “shark” parents.
“The looming threat of an unknown shark parent circling the waters, waiting to drag me under and eviscerate me [is what stresses me out the most]. I don’t have one yet this year—and I’m hoping it stays that way—but the fear remains,” says Welser. “Not because they can actually do much to me, but [because] they’re just exhausting.”
Welser said he actually expects his students to be stressed out, considering he teaches AP Language and Gifted/Magnet 10th grade literature.
“I try to be as reasonable as possible. But when you have seven classes, extracurriculars, and the general vexation of the teenage years, you’re going to be stressed. I’m more worried about the kids who don’t look stressed—that kind of apathy is both inspiring and disturbing,” said Welser.
Welser said he tries to limit homework on the weekends because that is a student’s time to rest. Unfortunately, not all teachers agree with this ideology or simply can’t avoid giving weekend work. This is the cause of stress for a lot of students, considering many teenagers have sports games, clubs, family obligations, or simply just want to rest after a long week.
Jamie Allison (‘28) says that the communication about assignments and tests is incredibly stress-inducing.
“I have a lot of tests in one week. Next period, I have a test. And we only got told about our test yesterday, and I just don’t feel prepared for it, so it’s stressing me out,” says Allison. “That happens to me a lot where teachers don’t make it clear that we have a test… they don’t put it in Canvas or anything.”
Another freshman says his workload has caused him to begin failing a few classes. He says when he starts to feel stressed, he tends to sulk in this stress. Sadly, this is what is happening to a lot of students, whether they admit it or not. The stress struggle is real.
Talking to someone about stress, no matter who it is, can help take some of the pressure off. Some students, like Neal, feel that they can talk to teachers. For her, Ms. Savage is always there to listen. For Mack Williams (‘27), it’s talking to his online best friend that destresses him in the midst of school chaos. On the other hand, Cassidy Poole (‘26) says that when she gets stressed out, she tends to distance or isolate herself from other people. This only adds to the pressure a student like Poole is carrying related to her schoolwork.
For Allison, she wants to be told, by her teachers in specific, that it’s ok to not know everything. School is hard, and sometimes it feels like students are expected to know it all. This adds to the academic pressure students carry every day.
So let this article be a message to you: you’re doing great, and it is ok to not know it all, as long as you’re open to learning more.
