Winter is supposed to be a time to enjoy Christmas break and the occasional snow day that we are surprised with every now and again. But for many high school students, it is the most stressful time of year. Project deadlines loom in the near future, all classes schedule big exams in the same week, and every junior dreads the impending ACT test day that is fast approaching. The chilly winter days and weeks feel like they drag on for an eternity, while the months fly past in the blink of an eye. This time of year, everyone is at the point where they are just trying to survive until the glorious weekend break, only to be let down over and over again by the sound of an alarm bright and early Monday morning. And let’s not forget the stack of practice tests, reading, and study materials assigned over the weekend that will take far longer than they are supposed to and cause an immense amount of stress. This time of year is usually draining, but I’ve never felt as stressed about school as I have since the new semester started. I’ve always heard that junior year is the hardest year of high school, but I never truly believed it until now. 

     I find myself speeding through the day, counting down the hours until I can escape the madness of a rigorous school schedule and drive home in my little blue Chevy just to get a break. Well, that is, until I have to start on the seemingly endless list of assignments when I get home that are due at various times throughout the week. School starts to feel like a chore, or something we just have to get through this time of year. There’s no time to enjoy hanging out with your friends or playing games in study hall; there just isn’t time like there was just a few weeks ago in the first semester. As I sit in my living room writing, thinking about this week in particular stresses me out because of the sheer volume of assignments and exams I must accomplish in the next few days, I convince myself that I’ll never have enough time to complete every assignment or that everything has to be perfect, but that is rarely the case with school. It’s times like this when I question why I put so much pressure on myself when it comes to school. What is it about the second semester that makes everything more difficult?

     I sometimes wonder if I’m the only one who feels this way, but when I look around the school, I see many students who are going through the same thing I am. Some students spend the few minutes before the bell rings frantically finishing homework they didn’t have time to do the night before while others use their study halls to cram last-minute for a test next period. Alli Carlisle, a junior at Dover High School has similar feelings about the second semester. “It seems like the more work just gets piled up in the second semester, and I think a lot of extra stress gets added because we’re thinking about scheduling for next year, state testing, in our case the ACT, and end of the year projects,” she explains. “It just adds a lot of stuff to our already pretty full plate.” I couldn’t agree with you more, Alli. 

     There is a certain point where we all have to realize that schoolwork isn’t everything. It’s taken me a long time to come to terms with this statement; the perfectionist in me wants to have every assignment perfectly done and completed ahead of schedule no matter what the cost. But then all it takes is for me to realize a few things. The most prevalent question to ask yourself should be: what is going to help you more in life: spending hours every week worrying about what you can’t get done or taking the time to focus on the work that is most important? You won’t remember every time you got on the honor roll, every time you won a PBIS award, or even how important AP Capstone was to you in high school. So next time you are stressed over schoolwork, take a deep breath and start on the most important thing. Everything will work out in the end. Although the second semester will always be stressful, not sweating the small stuff can make all the difference in how much you feel about it.