The Unspoken Pandemic

The topic of burnout and peaking in high school is common among seniors and feels like one other thing students are trying to avoid. Students (especially ones in higher grade levels) are worked like hounds to meet and exceed the expectations of their teachers, the curriculum, and themselves.  While it can certainly be argued that “failing to prepare is preparing to fail,” these lofty expectations and excessive amounts of work (and the overall fear of failing) lead students to work themselves to the point of burning out--where the stress becomes a bigger behemoth than they can handle. This can have dangerous consequences. 

An ACSD article by Cathy Vatterott was published in 2019 and explains this exact problem. Vatterott states she’s seen a teen epidemic of what she claims to be “rudderless box checkers,” students who work through the motions of a complicated schedule and are only motivated by the fact that what they are doing resembles success. She explains that this high-stakes  and mindset destroys the point of high school: For students to be confused, to ask questions, and to be carefree before they lose their excuse to be. Vatterott equates this to the elementary concept of “let kids be kids,” and explains that for elementary students, this frame of thinking is “developmentally appropriate.” She then goes on to state that the same frame of mind—albeit a little too callow for the taste of high schoolers—could be used in their defense. It can be argued that high schoolers have more to wrestle with and less time to do it, so the most optimal time for them to spread their wings and make mistakes is in their high school years.  

Though the problem often looks to be far too big for students to grapple with, particularly since they have several classes to organize and orchestrate plans for, Vatterott has a few ideas for how to combat the burnout epidemic. She goes on to state, “Teens after all are becoming. They are forming their identities, values, and views of the world. They need a balance of intellectual, emotional, and dare I say, spiritual experiences to help them grow into happy and well-adjusted adults, not just to prepare them to be college students.” Emphasizing and advocating for parent and student education, limiting homework, encouraging a coordinated workload across classes,  asking questions, and advocating for oneself are all ways students can take control of their educational experience. Arguably the most important segment of the article is the five sentences Vatterott claims students need to know. The sentences are as follows: “School is not the real world and that in the real world, the rules will differ from place to place. Their worth is not determined by their GPA or how many activities they are in. Focusing only on the future insults the value of the present. Failing a test or even a course does not make them a failure. Their success is not enhanced by someone else's failure.”