Radio Commentary
A study shows that school-based
stress hits students hard at all ages and grade levels.
In the study, students named more
than 300 stress factors they felt at school. The number one stress was
schoolwork itself.
Contrary to myth, most students
work hard at school and want to do well. Having difficulty can cause a great
deal of stress.
More girls than boys cited social
stresses and peer pressure about their appearances. More boys than girls said
they felt anxious about discipline. This dovetails with studies that show more
boys are disciplined than girls.
Also listed were the stresses
ranging from riding the bus to preparing for a career.
Clearly no student can lead a
stress-free life — plus, it would be terrible preparation for the real world.
But we know that an overload of stress can cause physical and emotional
problems that compound the situation.
For this reason, it is a good idea
to reduce some of the stress in children’s lives. Methods include using
alternative forms of discipline and increasing cooperative activities.
It’s also critical to understand
that each child is different, and matures at a different rate.
This knowledge prevents us from
creating one-size-fits-all situations where deviations from the norm create an
additional form of undue stress.
