Springtime Student Stressors - How to Alleviate Anxiety

Winter days are starting to wind down, and the rejuvenation that comes with warmer temperatures can make whatever is on the horizon seem a little more hopeful. One would therefore think that as the springtime approaches, kids might start to perk up a bit, but in fact, the opposite is often true. After the wearying effects of several long months in classrooms, stamina begins to break down right around now, resulting in both a possible decline in student performance and increased anxiety. While teachers have minimal control over how other people might be feeling, there are areas of student stress that we can be helpful in managing so that by the time June arrives, everyone feels proud of what they have accomplished. 

Homework Overload

No matter how many educational shifts and trends we might see come and go, homework is here to stay, and it is endlessly controversial in nature as educators and caregivers argue about the “should we or shouldn’t we” aspect of giving kids tasks to complete outside of classroom hours. Regardless of where anyone stands in this debate, perhaps one thing we can all find common ground on is connected to the purpose of homework. For example, children often come home with what we call “busywork,” and any assignment of this nature has a highly questionable benefit. 

Ideally, any assigned homework moves students toward proficiency with a very specific learning goal, and only when there is no time and space to support this goal during instructional time alone. True, it can be hard to send students off with tasks that are challenging when there is no teacher to directly support them, so hitting a sweet spot between an aimless activity and a rigorous yet doable independent assignment is key to ensuring that homework is meaningful. If we find ourselves assigning a great deal of work without a very specific purpose, it might be a good idea to slow down on what students are sent home with each night, which has the dual benefit of making our instruction tighter while alleviating students’ workload.

Test and Quiz Timing

On their own, tests and quizzes are stressful. When too many happen across different classes at the same time, kids experience high levels of anxiety. As students move into their secondary years, classes tend to be departmentalized, which means that teachers in separate content areas do not have opportunities to collaborate with one another or even occupy the same parts of a school building. As a result, for example, a sixth-grader might have multiple assessments in one day, unbeknownst to teachers.

A remedy that alleviates this particular stressor is logistical in nature, and is as simple as developing and maintaining a schoolwide testing calendar that is shared among all staff members. To go a step further, some schools designate content area testing days; as an exemplification, math might be on Wednesday and English on Thursday. At the minimum, it would be helpful for grade-level teachers in particular to indicate when they are giving tests or quizzes on this shared forum so that everyone can be aware of keeping everything in balance for kids. In addition, an administrator or other instructional leader can do a weekly check of the calendar to ensure that everyone is remembering to follow the system.

Standardized Assessments

For whatever reason, most standardized assessments are lumped into the springtime months, from state testing to Advanced Placement exams. When students are pulled out of class for frequent testing, there are ripple effects that compound into higher levels of stress. For one thing, teachers become concerned about the impact of less instructional time on meeting overall goals, and they may assign more work to compensate for any shortfalls. Furthermore, kids who sit for what is often many hours during assessments generally find it taxing to focus on their classes for the remainder of any school day.

To alleviate some of this pressure, consider being particularly judicious about not just the breadth of work that is assigned during any testing season, but also about building more active opportunities into class time, such as project-based learning. Kids will need time and space to move around and interact with one another, and to flex their creative and critical thinking skills. It’s important to note that nobody should lower the standards or expectations for student work during this time, but we should remain mindful that students might need a little more flexibility as they navigate a tough couple of months. 

Activity Juggling

As temperatures warm and the daytime lengthens, students are more likely to participate in after-school activities. Extra-curricular activities are stimulating and motivating for kids, especially those who may be less comfortable in their classrooms but are more than excited to showcase what they can achieve in a different setting. In the interest of ensuring that everyone can come to school and do what they love, it helps when teachers work with kids who may be overloaded to help them manage their assignments and tasks. Once again, this does not mean that students should not be held accountable to the same needs and standards as they would be any other time of year; however, we can be a little more agile in finding ways to support anyone who might be struggling to get everything done. 

Life might seem lighter in the springtime, but that doesn’t mean that students don’t struggle as they head into March and April. With some added awareness of what kids are managing and a willingness to meet anyone who asks for support halfway, we can alleviate much of the anxiety that students feel when everything seems to pile up all at once. 

Written by Miriam Plotinsky, Education World Contributing Writer

Miriam Plotinsky is an instructional specialist with Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, where she has taught and led for more than 20 years. She is the author of several education books with W.W. Norton and ASCD. She is also a National Board-Certified Teacher with additional certification in administration and supervision. She can be reached at www.miriamplotinsky.com or via Twitter: @MirPloMCPS

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