School is back in session. Students are welcomed by the school’s familiar atmosphere. Roaming the halls, seeing old and new faces, meeting new teachers and making new friends. It can feel like a fresh start, like having a clean slate. Students set goals for the school year, trying not to make the same mistakes as the previous year. But, as the weeks drum on the homework can pile up. 

Students like Estephani Navarro ’25 are excited to graduate. She looks forward to school and friends. However, the only thing Navarro hates about school is the amount of homework she receives and wishes teachers would be more considerate with the work they assign their students. 

 “Sometimes I can procrastinate on my homework and then it just all feels so overwhelming,” Navarro ‘25 said. “And studying, I can be bad at studying for tests and quizzes at times and that can be very stressful; especially seeing a bad grade.” 

Students wish teachers would communicate more and be more understanding of their lives outside of school. Sometimes homework assignments given by teachers overwhelm students and are hard to complete within the deadline given. Students like Matyas Phillips ’25 wished teachers were more compassionate and cared more about their student’s mental health 

“I think teachers can communicate with students more,” Philips said. “And also of course give us less homework. Homework causes the most stress from school for me personally. All the teachers I have to see and all the work I receive from each class; school can just be so overwhelming.” 

Teachers try to understand students and their lives outside school. English teacher Jessia Malmsten said she believes that their students and their mental health come first. Teachers find it important to assign work that challenges their students while making sure they are learning.  

“My student’s mental health is extremely important to me because I believe educators should always focus on the whole child and plan accordingly,” Malmsten said. “It is important to me to remember that high school students are young adults with a lot of responsibility and while reading and writing is my primary goal, there are other aspects to their lives. It is also important to me that the work I assign is just enough work to challenge my students but not overwhelm them.”