Opinion

Vista students have very busy schedules. Through schoolwork, sports, clubs and jobs–among other things–our society puts so much pressure on these students.

On average, each student has at least an hour and a half of homework each night. Parents today believe they had the equivalent amount of homework when they were students; however, further analysis disagrees. Due to the knowledge growth around the world, such as technology, science, mathematics, and so on, schooling today is more advanced and contains more information than past years. Also, this day and age has  many distractions such as TV, phones and social networking.

Society makes these technologies, provides it to kids, and then when kids pay attention to them, society scolds them for not “spending or time properly.” It’s undeniably hypocritical.

Not to mention that students who take AP classes have more homework than anyone else. Vista’s curriculum guide states that each AP class requires up to 3 hours of homework a night. Now imagine a student who is taking multiple AP classes at once.

Senior Ashlee Zarou says her parents expected her to get all As.  “My parents expect me to go to college. If I didn’t, they would be really mad and say I’m going nowhere in life and then would kick me out on the street,” said Zarou.

Lisa Knotts, a Vista  parent,  agrees. “Yes, I expect my kids to go to college or get a longer education in the military- just some type of  education  after high school.”

Parents in Folsom tell their kids that the only way to succeed and get into a good college is  to excel in their school work. Adding to that, kids have to be involved in their community as well.

Whether it be sports or clubs, extracurricular activities take many hours per week, maybe even a whole day of the week. They must volunteer, run events, be involved, because if they aren’t, they supposedly aren’t going anywhere in life.

That’s the idea parents are giving to us today. The pressure we feel is unbearable. Many at Vista have taken to self-harm, drugs and alcohol to cope with the stress from everything and everyone around them.

The elderly tell us to “enjoy being a kid” or “have fun while it lasts,” but how can we with the older generations pulling our strings to make us their puppets, doing the “right” things and making “correct” decisions regarding our lives?

Although not everyone in this society has these thoughts, the majority does.

Vista is listed among the highest-ranking schools statewide, along with some of the highest scores in the country. However, Vista is also home to some of the most stressed-out students around.

Not to mention how we are already going through enough with puberty and high school/social drama. Whether it be sexual urges, the need to fit in, or just acknowledgement, it’s tough to be a teen.

The cherry on top to the pile of pressure is the fact that parents tell Vista students they need to find a job. We spend so much time looking for jobs, filling out applications, traveling to all the stores and eateries, and guess what? Barely anyone is hiring teens. Parents say “Back in my day. . .” and then describe their work at a young age, but they need to understand we’re in a recession.

“My parents say I have to have a job,” said Zarou. Students who can’t find jobs are labeled as lazy, but really, students are trying just as hard as their parents did; maybe even more.

Take all of this into consideration when judging the habits or feelings of Vista del Lago students.

Important Note: This is an individual opinion piece that may or may not reflect the views of the editorial board and the publication.