Explore Personal Identity

While high school is a time to develop skills in areas such as calculus and American History, it should also be a time to explore yourself and find your own social and cultural identity. Michele Spiezia, a counselor at Manhattan International High School, notes that finding out what is important to a student's morals is essential in preparing them for the future. The problem identified in a survey conducted at Armstrong High School, a Minneapolis School, was that today's students are so overwhelmed with homework, it leaves them with an inadequate amount of time each day to explore their interests and develop a personal identity. In the same survey conducted at Armstrong, it was reported that homework takes time away from spending time with

A study done at the University of Minnesota was conducted by sending out surveys all across the nation and analyzing the data. This study points out that students who have an increased amount of family time, such as family dinners, also have an increased amount of motivation and self esteem. When a parent is spending time with their child, whether or not they are actively discussing personal identity, the student develops a better sense of self by having the chance to explore the values and identity of someone that they look up to. Most children want to spend time with their families but the sheer amount of homework prevents them from doing so. In the survey that was held at Armstrong, a shocking 74% of students reported that homework and studying takes up so much time that students don't have time to spend with their family. Jayne A. Fulkerson, a professor at the school of nursing and holder of a PhD from the University of Minnesota, conducted research by studying a group of individuals and it became apparent that teens master social skills by spending time, and interacting with their family. It is incredibly alarming that instead of learning valuable life lessons from their families, adolescents are spending their time doing math problems or reading a

A study done by the American Journal of psychiatry and Dan Blazer, a professor in psychiatry, behavioral science, and community and family medicine, with a PHD and MD, analized people who were suffering with depression, the patients that had a form of religion in their life recovered at a faster pace than those that didn't. When a student is involved in religious activity it can help create an outlet that will relieve the stress of school. Of the kids that were surveyed at Armstrong, in the Robbinsdale school district 26% of them reported that they can’t be involved in the amount of religious activity that they would like to be because they are overloaded with homework and studying. A study done by a group of scientists and professors at the Norwegian School of Theology, identified that people who attended church had a significantly lower blood pressure than those did not. High blood pressure is one symptom of anxiety as Sheldon G Sheps, MD, at the Mayo Clinic reports. At the Australian National University in the school of psychology they report that by having a decreased amount of anxiety a student will be better able to learn things rather than have affect them in a negative