August has just begun and that means that for many, school is fast approaching. Though I feel the insane excitement to get back to campus and see my friends and finally begin to study courses more aligned with my major. I can’t help to feel a twinge of anxiety rumbling in my belly. The school year brings adventures and new memories to be made, but it also comes along with the stress of grades and GPA. Stress can be healthy because it is a sign that you are being challenged. When the stress becomes overwhelming to the point of a breakdown though it creates problems.

I think we can all look back to a time when we would come home excitedly telling our parents what the lesson of the day was. I can recall opening my composition notebook which held the homework taped to it, excited to see if I had remembered the instruction from that day or if I could successfully internalize it. I remember being the student that got in trouble for reading while to the teacher was talking or receiving rolled eyes and sucked teeth when I raised my hand AGAIN to answer the question.

I try to look back and think about when the transition began. When I went from “Teachers pet” to just another average student. I always excelled in my studies don’t get me wrong. But at some point I became lazy. Once I noticed that I could still succeed and excel without going above and beyond I became mediocre. How can one be mediocre but still become so stressed? There was a time when I felt a healthy challenge but the public school system is just about being able to pass the next test and maintaining a certain GPA. The system is set up to adhere to the needs of one type of student. The problem is the students are not all the same. It is possible to understand a concept 100 percent but still fail the test. People learn differently and the public school system does an awful job of recognizing this.

I stressed so much about the due dates that I forgot that the whole purpose is to learn. I began to adopt the bad habit of learning just enough to pass the test. Then I would completely clear my brain for the next topic. Yes, this carried me a very long way. But as I graduated and went on to college I soon learned that this method of getting by would not pass. I found myself nearly failing all of my classes in danger of losing my scholarships. Assignment were piling up and not because I failed to do it, but because I I felt like I was not at all prepared for the coursework. Even though most high school teachers would justify the methods of the school system by saying it is to prepare us students in college, I find myself wondering what type of college I was being prepared for.

With a lot of hard work, dedication and multiple meltdowns. I made it through my first year of college. I can’t fathom how other people are surviving the stresses of school. I feel that now that I am in college and I am able to choose what I want to learn can go back to thriving and actually enjoy learning. I still feel a big part is just passing but now I am more interested in the topics and feel that I will be able to use the lessons learned in the future. Stress is not necessarily a negative thing in fact as I said earlier it is healthy when growth occurs afterward. I just feel that students should not be pushed to the brink in order to prove their knowledge.