If you are a student at Xavier, you would probably answer that question by saying yes, especially if you participate in a copious amount of extracurricular activities. With such busy schedules dozens of girls can’t help but feel overwhelmed and exhausted when it comes to school work. However, many teachers at Xavier seem to think the opposite. With such differing views we are left with one question, why? However, answering this question is not a simple task. There are many factors we must take into account when determining the truth behind whether or not Xavier students are overworked.

Students chose to attend Xavier College Preparatory because it is well known for its academic greatness. Also, the expectations are higher at Xavier due to the fact that our school is a College Preparatory. Many teachers feel that the amount of work they give their students is appropriate because they want to prepare students for the enormous workload we’ll be faced with in college. In addition, we must also consider that not all classes are the same just like not all students work the same. We also have to take into account the multitude of activities that every student participates in. Many teachers like Honors English teacher Dr. Zuba takes this fact into account. He said that, “Because not all students have the same activities, the work will affect them all differently.” Not all students take part in the the same extracurricular activities therefore,  completing homework is going to be different for every student.

After talking to both students and teachers, I learned a lot about their point of views when it comes to students being overworked. Senior Yacinta Irakoze is one of the students who believes that she is in fact overworked. When asked the latest she had gone to bed while doing homework she stated she had once stayed up until five in the morning. While she did think the amount of work she had was a lot, she did put most of the blame on procrastination, which for a lot of people our age seems to be something we all struggle with. On top of that, we also have many distractions that can prevent us from getting our homework done and getting to bed at a reasonable time. With that being said, we are left wondering what can be done to help students feel less overworked. AP United States History teacher Mr. Long explains, “Put the phone away, put computer on airplane mode, and prioritize and try to stay clear of any distractions.”  Adding to that, AP English teacher Mrs. Galbreath advises students to set up their schedules in a “realistic manner.” When it comes to picking out classes, whether in high school or college, we should always keep in mind not to overexert ourselves with picking multiple challenging classes at once. Most importantly, we as students must develop good time management skills to help fight off procrastination. Teachers on the other hand could help by teaching time management skills to students and opening up a door for dialogue within their classrooms to see how students are handling their workload.

As a Xavier student who has participated in several extracurricular activities, I can testify to how overwhelming the work can get. I will also point out that school work is not the only activity that causes stress everyday, we as students have to face pressures of the high expectations that we place upon ourselves. We have this constant need to be the best and do the best, which is a good thing until it begins to take a toll on our mental and physical health. This is something that teachers like Mrs. Galbreath pointed out multiple times. In recognizing this we can identify that the feeling of being overworked is not something we should blame our teachers for and in some ways, not something we should blame ourselves for either. At the end of the day it comes down to how well our time is managed and recognizing that no matter how bad the workload seems, it’s all for us.