No one is quite sure what's causing it, but this semester seems exceedingly more stressful than the average fall semester. We see it on a daily basis in the library just as the teaching faculty witness it in the classroom. The students have been uber stressed out from day one of this semester, and unfortunately, their stress levels don't seem to be declining and it's only midterms.
It's not just in the academic units on campus that student stress levels are apparent. Student support services have reported that they've had increasing numbers of referrals to counseling services and increasing numbers of concerned parents calling in (this is also an after-effect of the Virginia Tech shootings).
Today in the library 2 students passed out within 20 minutes of one another. The first passed out at the circulation desk; the second passed out at the reference desk and hit her head. The first student was unable to stand steadily when the paramedics came and was primarily concerned about the paper that she needed to hand in for her 11:15 class.
I sometimes think that we (society) are putting too much pressure on these students to be high achievers, be involved in extracurriculars, do community service, hold down a job (or 2 or 3), and have a clear sense of their career path. Is that a bit much for a 18 to 22 year old?
I don't think this is just occurring at the college level either. Just today, one of my co-workers was commenting on how friends of hers have children in kindergarten and first grade who have an hour of homework every night. An hour of homework a night for 5 and 6 year olds?!? That seems so excessive.
When did we decide that it was OK to rob our children of their childhood just so they can get a jump start on adulthood and their careers?
3 comments:
I THINK YOUR RIGHT ON TRACK. GLAD YOU
HAD A GOOD TRIP TO RENO.
LOVE DAD
I could be wrong, but I personally feel this started with putting 3 and 4 year olds in nursery school. And when did PRE-school become school?
I taught preschool 2 years in the mid 70's, and there learned I did not intend to send my own children. (If God intended children to grow and be nurtured in packs of 10 or 12, we'd be giving birth to children in litters instead of one or two at a time.)
:)
Even though I know that if I have kids, I won't be a full-time stay at home mom, I think this is part of it, too. Parents both working full time and finding ways to keep their kids busy. Mike sees it all the time with sports. There are traveling soccer leagues for little kids that go nine-ten hours away for tournaments. And Little Guy football? Is it really necessary to dress eight-year-olds or whatever they are up in pads and helmets and let them tackle each other? Sheesh!
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