The troubles and toils of a high school junior

Opinion by J1 Reporter Amalea Poulos

My hair is falling out.

I’m so stressed my hair is falling out. Now, I’m a big fan of my hair. I spent seven years growing it out, and I’m not about to lose it. I noticed my thinning problem began around on Aug. 14 at 7:55 a.m. There’s only one logical explanation for my problem: homework.

I’d heard all the horror stories about junior year, but I’d never expected them to be so. . . relatable. The amount of homework and stress I’m dealing with is at an all-time high. Quite frankly, I’m over it.

All I’m asking for is one day of the week where I can come home, take a nap, eat some dinner, and then maybe do an hour of homework. Unfortunately, I’m faced with a much harsher reality.

My day-to-day after school schedule goes something like this: get home, take a half-hour break, begin homework. Three hours later, I shove some food down my throat and dive right back into my books. If I’m lucky, I fall asleep before 11:30. I’d say that happens once every two weeks, and it’s never willingly. Most of the time, I fall asleep with my Jane Eyre book on my chest and a highlighter in one hand. I wake up the next morning in a panic, with yellow highlighter stains everywhere, because I know I didn’t get all my homework finished.

There are definitely benefits of doing homework — extra practice leads to a better understanding. The way I see it, the pros of a heavy amount of homework are buried so far underneath the cons it would take 10 years and a jackhammer to reach them.

Walking down the halls of Marian, you can see the toll homework takes. Lifeless eyes and walking paces similar to zombies are both common sights. I’m not saying we should eradicate homework; the load just needs to be lightened.

As teens, it’s important we have a few hours to ourselves each night. I find myself staying up into the wee hours of the morning to watch at least one episode of Grey’s Anatomy, because I deserve that much, gosh darn it! If I didn’t spend a minimum of 45 minutes just hanging out, I’d go crazy.

It’s not uncommon among my friends to compromise sleeping time for a little bit of Netflix. All day every day, we push our brains to the breaking point. By the time we’re finished with school, it’s way past our bedtimes. Where’s the me-time?

Less homework means less grading! It’s a win-win situation. Teachers: please help me keep my hair on my head. It’s the only thing I ask. (I will beg, if necessary.)