There are millions of high school students across America who have all said the same thing: “My teacher gave so much work today”. Now, these students must feel that they are being overworked by their teachers and proctors, but are they actually?

The truth is, some high school students are overworked, and some are not. Depending on the student’s mindset, lifestyle, and goals, the concept of being overworked varies from student to student. Most students are involved in after-school activities (i.e. sports, clubs, academics, etc.), and their commitment to these extracurriculars can range from around 30 minutes to 5 hours. The students who have activities ranging on the latter end of the above spectrum might thus claim that they are “overworked”. However, it is not particularly the school teachers/proctors who are at fault for this. Students are driven, focused individuals; most choose to be part of extracurriculars, and when they take up those involvements, they also gain a responsibility to manage their work in accordance. However, high school students are also young, developing people; they wish to have fun and go out with friends and experience a good social life. Since high school students cannot often distinguish that difference between extracurriculars and “me-time”, students feel pressured that they are not getting enough time to do schoolwork, when they might actually be using that time for personal interests. Thus, some students can feel they are being overworked, but by personal commitments, in addition to the higher-level classes they might be taking. However other students face different challenges; students may take on the challenge of Advanced-Placement, International-Baccalaureate, and Honors classes in which they typically get a greater amount of generally college-level work from their teachers. The students who take on the challenge of these classes may also feel overworked with the additional time spent studying, especially in comparison to students taking academic classes. 

In culmination, some high school students are, in fact, overworked in a general sense often due to their involvement in the numerous extracurriculars. However, the school faculty is not necessarily at fault for this as extracurriculars are voluntary. The students who are overworked are so because of their desire to be proficient in the numerous aspects of student life: academics, athletics, clubs, and other activities. The students who are not overworked choose to be content with excelling in a few aspects of the above-mentioned student life. Therefore, the only way to determine if high school students are overworked in based on the student’s individual mindset.