Suzy was feeling very stressed! She had to juggle school, soccer, piano lessons, and her household chores not to mention she was only in the eighth grade. Suzy felt that her life was a mess and she needed to do something to make her life less stressful. So like any stressed out fourteen year old, Suzy decided to drop out of school so she could concentrate on playing soccer in hopes to one day be the next Mia Ham. However, Suzy is not alone, twenty percent of students drop out of school each year. How does this effect their futures, and what is leading them to such drastic measures? Many students today take on too many extracurricular activities, and this in effect boggles down their schedules and they cannot manage their time effectively. In Suzie's case her stress was caused by her lack of structure and time management. She found that there truly was just not enough time in the day, and she took the easy way out and dropped out of school.
Suzy
Suzy's bar
Suzy likes candyWhy would she choose to drop out of school? Well like every middle school student, sports and friends are on their minds before school, and they would rather occupy those eight hours in the day doing something "more productive" so to speak. What they don't realize is that they are throwing away the most important thing, their futures! Furthermore, many students are getting so much pressure from their parents to get good grades along with being the star defender, which creates an unneeded stress in their lives.
If you were to survey a group of fourteen year olds and asked them what they wanted to be when they grow up, you would see that their answers are unanimous: a professional sports player. So thus in their minds they feel that they do not need schooling, and it is of no importance to them and they choose sports over academics. But what they don't realize is that academics should come before sports. What happens to them if they do become that professional football player, and they get hurt and they are no longer valuable to the team? Where do they go from there? With no education they would not get a job.
What if Suzy was your friend, what could you do to help her realize that she is making the wrong choice? Having encouragement from her friends and family could make Suzy realize that she is throwing away her future. If a student has this encouragement from their parents and loved ones it will make them "reach for the stars", and achieve their goals. Moreover, by setting a schedule to stick by students could manage their time and thus their stress level will be put to a minimum.
In conclusion, students with support from their family and friends, and good time management skills, will have less stress in their lives, and a path to their future paved for them.
Suzy and Andrew
Suzy, May 1992