Well kids, we’re well into the second semester, and you know what that means: heaps of homework and endless stress. It’s a defining characteristic of the latter half of the year that it be filled with stressors and responsibility, ranging from homework, tests, and projects to extracurricular responsibilities. But if there’s one thing that’s in as much abundance as students’ complaints of all this work, it’s the collective eye-rolling of teachers everywhere as late work and declining grades pile high. And you know what? They’re right.

Totally, they’re right. It really is ridiculous the excuses that some of these kids come up with in regards to their inability to do their work. It is an obvious fact that due to the academic rigor of this school, it should be students’ topmost priority. If a student decides to take several honors or AP courses in order to challenge themselves, they certainly should be willing to devote all of their time to these classes, which are clearly more important than other, more creative or whole-person focused courses. Now, one could argue that some students take these classes only to make a strong college application, or that they have no real-world value at all, but why does that matter? Practicality and creativity is silly and takes time away from memorization of facts and formulas for the test every single week.

Honestly though, it is so true that all of students’ stress is self-inflicted due to procrastination and a bad work ethic. It is entirely a student’s personal issue if they prioritize other classes that they are failing or other problems in their life outside of school. And really, they should know that teachers don’t care so much about the grades as long as students learn, which explains the weekly quizzes and hours of homework. I mean, the teachers really care about students’ holistic education, which they show by giving students bad grades on assignments and exams for small mistakes, which leads to them having a bad overall grade, which prevents them from getting into the most prestigious universities, which prevents them from getting good degrees, which prevents them from getting high paying jobs, which prevents them from living plentiful and fulfilling lives years later. But it’s what students really learn that matters.

The fact that students are even stressed in the beginning is simply ridiculous. It’s their own fault- if they just focused more time on their schoolwork and classes, then they wouldn’t constantly and perpetually feel like they are literally drowning. The excuses they make are ridiculous- I mean, some people have the nerve to say that they are passionate about sports and athleticism, pursuing a healthy lifestyle and pushing their bodies to the limit, or that they have hobbies that don’t line up with homework, like art or writing, playing games, or enjoying nature in all its beauty. Simply preposterous. What’s even worse are the excuses of a “social life.” It’s apparent that when students pick engaging with other human beings and creating bonds and connections that force them to grow as a person, become more accepting of others, and develop a better understanding and appreciation of not only the world around them but the people in it, that they are lazy and that time could be better spent doing something real, like the third 45 page paper they have that week.

Student stress is honestly a non-issue. Claims of “mental and emotional health” are preposterous and unfounded. I mean, why does the fact that a student can feel like they are perpetually miserable because of some social situation, that they can feel utterly and inherently alone in their struggles, or that they feel so suffocated in stress, anxiety, and panic that they fall into misery and self-hatred matter when they have homework they could be doing? Never mind their emotional journeys. The fact that some people are so sad and alone that they feel trapped has no bearing in the classroom.

And don’t even get me started on extra-curricular commitments like family, community service, or work. Absolutely preposterous, these kids who spend some of their free time with organizations they are proud of and passionate about, or with their families, whom they love deeply and care for immensely. And worst of all- kids with jobs. Clearly their job should be doing well in school- never mind the fact that they need to help pay for college or have money to buy food or interact with people they like, doing things they enjoy.

There is one clear solution to stress: just don’t. Don’t be stressed. Just do your work, take your tests and exams, do your out-of-school projects, put 110% of all your energy and effort into schoolwork, and accept the C’s that that earns you and the perpetual misery that comes with it. It’s as simple as that.