Stress free school year? Is that even possible? Everyday there are many different situations that cause stress and worry throughout the students, such as not being able to find a piece of paper that was shoved inside of a book, not doing well on a test, trouble with schedules, etc.

Organization is one of the key factors in having a trouble free school year. If students are organized, they will be able to find their papers and assignments with ease while disorganization may cause stress. If a paper cannot be found, points will be deducted or the student may have to redo the assignment which will cause unnecessary stress. When asked about the most important thing to have a stress free school year, Mrs. Manelski answered, “Get organized, and stay organized. See teachers or guidance when things aren’t going how you want them to be.” Some students lockers are organized, while other students have papers everywhere and are very disorganized.  A clean locker and organized binder can contribute to having a stress free school year.

While keeping materials organized is key, it is also important to prioritize and avoid procrastination. In order to have a trouble free year, time management is important. If a student does not manage their time, tests will be forgotten, homework will not be completed on time, which all leads back to disorganization. The agenda book purchased by every student at the beginning of the year is a very important tool in being organized. Mrs. Manelski said that students should use the agenda book because it acts as a second brain. Students partake in many activities such as sports, work, service, etc.and there is no way that a student will remember what her homework is if she does not write the assignments down.

Sylvan Learning recognized that for many students, school is not just about making friends and meeting new teachers, its about hard work and dedicated studies. But this can lead to anxiety, which is brought on at the start of the new school year. Adjusting to new classes and teachers, test taking, and writing essays contribute to the anxiety every year. Sylvan offered some tips on how to lessen the stress throughout the year. One tip was to set educational goals such as working towards all grades being a B or above. Set goals that can be accomplished and are realistic. Setting goals that are too high and then not being able to reach them will only produce discouragement and more stress.

Several schools have been using creative approaches to reduce students’ stress levels. At Needham High in Boston, Principal Paul Richards and staff have been eliminating class ranks and posting an honor roll list in the school’s newspaper. The principal also created a “stress reduction committee”, which has looked at many possible ideas such as having homework free weekends. “Not every kid is stressed out, and not every kid is stressed out by the same thing,” Principle Richards said, “For some kids, it’s having too many AP classes, for some it’s pressure from home, and for some it’s pressure from themselves and from their peers.”

Another way to have a stress free school year is to stay out of trouble. When some students get in trouble, they begin to worry about what their parents will think or they regret the decision they made. Some ways to stay out of trouble at Padua are to wear the lanyards, up keep a proper uniform (wear the correct socks, no rolled skirts, etc.), and stay focused on studies.

While school can be aggravating and stressful at times, students just need to relax. The previous steps are helpful in order for students to have a stress-free school year.