The Scale of Life

The Scale of Life

by Shyenne McMahon

Assistant Editor, Flyer Flash

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Everybody has those days when they come home from school and their parents put them right to work, whether it’s cooking dinner or cleaning the house. The parents tell the kids to do it because they say they’re tired from working all day. What parents don’t understand sometimes is how much high schoolers have to do all day, especially if they work and play sports on top of school.

Such a heavy weight is put on high school students to do well in school in order to get into college and do well in life, and with the economy the way it is many parents really can’t help pay for college education. There are many students working part time jobs in high school to start saving for college, paying for their sport, or even just for spending or gas money.

Students have to find a healthy balance between sports,
academics, and a social life.
Photo by Kirra Wilkinson, Flyer Flash

Sports teams in high school require quite a bit of money sometimes and use so much of what used to be a student’s free time. Many students try to work all of this into their schedule while still getting enough sleep, and having time for friends - but sometimes that isn’t quite the case. “It sucks. I don’t sleep and I have no social life,” Amy Hauck relates.

There’s nights when Ashley Hurd doesn’t get home from work until 11PM after going to school all day, still has homework due the next day, and has Jetette practice at 6AM the next morning. “I try to do it all the day before but I’ll wake up as early as 3:30 in the morning to do my homework,” she admits. Instead of having a cynical attitude about it, she stays her optimistic self. “It’s a struggle, but I love all 3 things and I wouldn’t change it.”

In order to stay on top of things, a student really has to plan their time wisely and not spend it messing around. “I’m a planned person. I plan when I shower, when I eat, and what I do every single day,” says Baylie Brooks. Not only is she involved in Jetettes, which already takes up endless time, she works two jobs, then takes piano and voice lessons on top of that. Now that has got to be a busy schedule!

Sometimes though it can be too much to have to do all of that after school. Working on the weekends, although maybe not getting in as many hours, is another way that many Dixie High students can fit everything into their schedule. Chanlie Randall does just that by only working Saturdays at her job at Pizza Factory so that her weekdays are used for school, homework, Jetettes, and maybe even friend time or sleep.

Academics is especially important in a high schoolers'
healthy balance of activities.
Photo by Kirra Wilkinson, Flyer Flash

Everyone has a different way of making sure that they have time for everything that they need to do, and they balance each of their tasks in whatever way that works for them. Some stay up as late as they need to at night until their homework is done and some, like Ashley, wake up extra early in order to get it done. A lucky few even have jobs that allow them to work on their homework while they’re clocked in! No matter what one does though, it isn’t an easy feat to keep up with everything. “It is hard. You just have to take one thing at a time. That’s all you can do,” informed Kamri Stoney.

It isn’t just sports though that take up many high school students time. There are so many time consuming extra-curricular activities that students are involved in outside of school that make it difficult to keep up. The school play is also a huge time consuming activity, but is such a good experience for Dixie’s students since they are always amazing under the wonderful Mr. Saxton. During October and November it becomes so stressful for students in the play to get everything accomplished, especially when they start having to miss classes for the matinee performances. Down time during long rehearsals are a great time to work on homework, although some of them don’t really have too much down time. 

It can get very stressful. “I’m not even sure how I do it! I do get stressed but I just have to keep reminding myself of all the great experiences I’m having and even though its hard work its worth it! And somehow it all works out in the end,” Kami Freeman shared about her time in the play.

High school students really do have a lot to do on top of their school work, even though many people wouldn’t really think that they do. School, work, sports, plays, and so much more goes on in a high schoolers life. It’s just all about how everything is balanced.