Stressed Out Students

April 05, 2008

Guest Article By Mitchell Salerno

Are you stressed? Overworked? Tired? The evidence suggests that our students are. Many American high school students are reportedly overworked and pressured to produce excellent grades, compete in athletics, and participate in clubs. And what is the prize at the end? Getting into a great college.

Getting into America’s best colleges is certainly becoming more competitive. Acceptance rates are remarkably low. I recently learned of a school that received over 35,000 applications, accepted 7,500 students, and intended to welcome only 2,500 freshmen on campus in the fall. This pressure has produced high school environments that are competitive and cutthroat.

Several organizations are concerned about the stress that high school students face. One is housed at Stanford University, called Stressed Out Students, or SOS for short. This organization works with high schools to reduce the amount of stress placed on students.

The Statesville Christian School (SCS) faculty recently read an article by Denise Pope, the founder and director of the SOS program, and analyzed it from a biblical worldview. In particular, we were interested in why so many of our students were seeking admission into a “great” college. In this respect, our students are no different from the average American high school student.

Recently, I was substituting in one of our senior courses and asked eight seniors if they felt stress. For the most part, they answered that they did. I asked them if grades were important, and they suggested that they were. When I asked what good grades would deliver, their answer followed a familiar chain: good grades lead to a good college, which leads to a good job, which leads to money, which leads to happiness and comfort. I finally asked them what their ideal life would look like. They replied that they would have a great family, earn enough money to provide for their needs, and live in a safe neighborhood.

Before you respond too quickly, I would suggest that you examine your own heart. Personally, I must admit that I have had the same thoughts. Yet is this God’s ideal? Does he call us to comfort or to service?

The SCS faculty has been wrestling with our role in cultivating a biblical worldview in our students such that they seek to develop their talents for God’s glory and his service. The SOS program at Stanford seeks to reduce stress by altering schedules, teaching yoga, and reducing homework. These are merely temporary and fleeting attempts to address the humanistic and materialistic foundations that undergird the real issue. As Christians, we understand that reducing stress lies not in techniques but in the One who produces peace.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose Romans 8:28).

I have challenged the faculty to consider how we can better instill a biblical worldview in our students and how we can create an environment that is developmentally appropriate. The gospel is not congruent with popular culture. At some point we will need to address what a Christian values compared to what the world values. I would contend that the “great” college is not the most prestigious but the one that God has providentially chosen.

I invite parents, students, and faculty to join the discussion. These types of worldview conversations are uncomfortable because they challenge the world within us. I am truly interested in your thoughts.