LFHS students are overloaded with more activities and homework than ever before. Many have trouble finding time to use their weekends for what they are for; resetting, getting things done, sleeping, and relaxing.
Whether students are involved in sports, extracurricular activities, or have jobs, balancing school and activities they enjoy with their packed schedules.
“I feel like my weekends have little to no free time because of my busy schedule. I babysit most Fridays, then Saturdays I work at Lake Forest Flowers from 9 to 5, then I have Saturday night free,” said junior Kylie Daum. “When Sunday rolls around, I’m usually stuck doing homework and end up going to bed late, then waking up early for school the next day.”
Saturdays are often filled with athletic and work obligations, leaving only Sundays open for rest and recovery – but those Sundays quickly end up being taken over by school work and studying due to the heavy work load and expectations placed on students.
Students often spend 4.5 hours on homework over the weekend, according to a study by Science Direct. This becomes a struggle for students with balancing sports and schoolwork. Students that participate in sports, the majority of the time, have to attend sporting events and tournaments over the weekends, making Saturday and Sunday feel as if it didn’t even occur.
“During competition season, I feel like dance definitely takes up a lot of time on weekends, especially if we have competitions or choreography,” said junior and Varsity Dance Team Member, Sam Morris. “I feel like dance definitely helps me manage my time better because I have to use the little time I have productively. However, it’s for sure hard to stay motivated when you’re tired after practice and have to go do schoolwork.”
Students struggle getting ready for the week ahead of them due to exhaustion after their packed weekends. They tend to feel like the weekend slips away in a second.
“Mondays always come too fast, as if the weekend barely happened and I’m already back to the grind,” said junior Leo Halperin.
For many students, weekends have lost their purpose and relaxation and now are more stressful than before. The real question is: when do students actually get a break?
