Success with Less Stress

Success with Less Stress

Homework, classwork, quizzes, tests, projects, deadlines, Help! That is what students are screaming. They are stressed out! According to Conner, Galloway, and Pope (2010) students are more stressed out over schoolwork and its pressures of the college admissions process and standardized tests than divorce or family illness (p 54). Students have reverted to dealing with their stress by cutting themselves, using illegal stimulants, becoming sleep deprived, and consuming alcohol. The problem of overstressed students can be lessened if schools devise a strategy to help ease the stress. Some strategies that Conner (2010) discussed are changing the schedule (p 57). Adding more free periods or a modified block schedule can allow more time for the students to work easing their stress. Another strategy is to have more staff training and development to conduct workshops on engagement and alternative assessment. Also, altering exams and exam times is a strategy that can help reduce student stress. “More than three-quarters of these sophomores and juniors [surveyed] agreed that rescheduling exams from after the winter break to before the break reduced their stress (Conner, 2101, p57). Parents, schools, students, and federal policies all have a role to play to help ease student stress.

Conner, J., Galloway, M., & Pope, D. (2010). Success with less stress. Educational Leadership, 67, 4, 54-57.