Growing up in a modern society where expectations and pressur is high, there is seemingly no room for mistakes; you’re supposed to fulfill the role set on being a “perfect teenager”. To many students, school pressure is taking over their everyday life, where grades are the only thing on their mind.

“The amount of hours I work and the continual stress of both it and the homework load that amasses over a week of procrastinating (due to my massive amount of work) negatively affects my social life, leading me to constantly cancel on my friends and social events, and be continually tired and stressed,” said senior Westen Meyer.

If you think that having two assignments, one presentation and two tests on the course of one week is supposed to help teenagers perform better in school, you should think again. The stress is taking over their everyday life which is supposed to be filled with laughter and joy. But the result of the school pressure can lead to teenagers becoming mentally ill, with a feeling of not being good or smart enough.

Many teenagers feel like school has taken over their life, where they believe that performing well in school makes you more respected and accepted by today’s society. One out of four girls around the age 16 show symptoms of depression, and one of six teenagers says they’ve had suicidal thoughts during high school.

Teenagers are tired of feeling like they have to perform well in school to be accepted. There is seven hours of school, starting at 8 a.m. and lasting until 3:10 p.m. Then, students head home to work on assignments, presentations, and overall homework. Many teenagers also have a part time job and other after school activites, leaving them with little to no room for social life.

Teenagers are ready to feel accepted by society, where we as individuals can decide how much time we wish to dedicate to school, work, and having a social life.

No one is perfect, and not everyone is supposed to master everything at the same standard.