An Opinion - The Struggle is Real

By Isabella Cahen

As both a teenager and a student myself, I tend to fall under
Academic pressure and I'm certain that most of the students in the
ABC currently taking part in the IB program are or have been
overwhelmed by this pressure too.

The IB, without a doubt, is one of the most mentally and
academically challenging programs worldwide. Academically,
because it forces you to commit fully to your work, not solely
inside of school but outside as well. It is not enough to pay attention
in classes and complete all your homework anymore, you have to
push a little more. Work a little more. Study a little more and sadly
sacrifice things that might have been a personal priority once in
your life. I'm sure you've heard most of your teachers through
talking about the expectations they have for you as a student taking
the IB. Also, I can assure you, you've heard them emphasize the
importance of hard work, dedication, and time management to
achieve a passing score in the IB or a good one.

However, most importantly, I find that IB requires a certain level of
mental strength. With all the hours of work you decided or do put
in, you will encounter challenges. Despite your academic abilities,
and despite doing everything as demanded, there will be times of
doubt. Times of stress. Times where you feel all the hard work
you've put in is meaningless. That effort may not always lead to
your definition of success, or the grades you expected to achieve,
but it is in those times of desperation when you feel as giving up,
when it's too much to handle that you must pause for a second.

Take a deep breath. Reflect. It is in those times where the IB course
and the pressure that comes with it will require the most mental
strength. As important it is to feel the pressure as a motor of
motivation, detaching yourself from that pressure is just as
important.

As Mr. Lang asked in the first school year assembly “Why are you
here?”. Questions that we constantly ask ourselves are: Who are we
doing this for? Is it to make our parents proud? our teachers? All
these are valid, and it is important to keep them in mind, but as you
allow the pressure to influence all your motives we tend to forget to
enjoy what we are doing. Enjoy the challenges, the new opportunities
to grow not solely as a learner, but as a person as well. Sometimes,
students can get too caught up in doing things for the sake of
doing, not because they are passionate about the work they put in or
truly believe that what they doing has a beneficial motive for
themselves. Not to make their parents proud, or their teacher proud,
but themselves.

As contradictory as it may sound, the feeling of being pressured can
drown you into losing the purpose and motives of your work. We
might start to complain about the hours we stayed up studying, that
one bad grade you were hoping to be your best one, and fall into the
habit of dissatisfaction and overwhelmedness. Academic pressure, if
it is becoming routinary, can cripple a student's performance and
esteem. Therefore, I strongly believe that with every challenge you
encounter in life we should never neglect the fact that it is our life
we are living- to enjoy the ride, feel enlightened by the work you are
doing. It is when you find you enjoy the dedication you are putting
into fulfilling your goals, where you'll see that the habit of doing
things for pressure, and the pressure itself will start to wear off.