Samuel Arnold
All Saints College
Ewing Avenue
Bull Creek WA 6149
Mr Geoff Baker MP
8/219 Canning Highway
South Perth WA 6151
12th of May 2022
Dear Mr Baker,
I am writing to ask you to put policies in place to reduce the number of projects and homework that students must complete at one time.
I am a resident of South Perth, currently in Year 8 at All Saints College. I am concerned about the effect of stress on the mental health of young teens.
Research shows that world wide, over 66% if secondary school students are stressed about getting good grades and 59% worry about difficult tests. This can mean sleepless nights, either from working too much to catch up on work, or loss of recreational time, as well as not being able to exercise properly. All of which can severely impact their mental and physical health.
At my school, we have just had 3 projects all ending in the space of one week. As year 8s have (I will admit) developing time management skills, there are people staying up until 12:00 am trying to finish projects and complete homework on time.
Stress can change the way people think, act, and feel. It can affect their emotions, making them more irritable and likely to rebel. It can also affect how they sleep, and how much they eat. And that’s not all. Stress changes the how a child physically feels, and can make them sick. All of these do no good to the teenagers, and their parents. Academic stress is one of the most common forms, as 59% of teenagers reported feeling nervous about finishing projects or homework at one time.
I am asking you to speak to the Education Minister about what I have talked about today. Please help put policies in to reduce the amount of stress put on teenagers due to schoolwork.
Sincerely, Samuel Arnold