Editor’s note: This essay was written in response to a call for submissions as part of Cheyenne Fonda’s senior project for Liberty Bell High School. Fonda asked Liberty Bell and Independent Learning Center students to share their thoughts about the Methow Valley on a variety of possible topics.
By Cymone Van Marter
I think that the gap between the life of teenagers and adults’ expectations is often wide, yet small. What I mean by this is as follows: Children are often scrunched for time by participating in many activities. They don’t have time to attend school and do homework, sports and work, and also then go outside and play, or hang out with friends, or sleep. This clustering of activities also prevents them from spending quality time with their parents and/or siblings, and therefore are not developing critical and lifelong relationships that are essential for healthiness and happiness.
I also feel like many students, educators and adults will agree with us on this topic, and yet still do nothing as we struggle to attend all of the activities that we want to engage in. It is nearly impossible to keep up on sleep when sports are a huge part of your high school life. On top of that, you have hours of homework that must be completed. The stress that comes with these tasks certainly grows some grey hairs and is not allowing children to be children.
As young adults, we need to have time to be immature, therefore allowing us to have fun and grow into capable adults. I fully believe that this problem can be fixed with more in-class projects instead of hours of homework (in college, students only take three to four classes while LBHS students may be taking four AP classes and three honors classes at the same time. This overload of work is more than enough and often leads to stress and wrinkles).
It is critical that children be given the time to go outside and play, and I fully believe that this will enhance their learning capability as well as their drive to sit indoors in a classroom all day.
Cymone Van Marter is a junior at Liberty Bell High School.
