Carley Rogers on Stress at School at TEDxYouth@ParkCity (Transcript)

Carley Rogers

Here is the full transcript of Carley Rogers’ TEDx Talk on Stress at School at TEDxYouth@ParkCity conference.

TRANSCRIPT:

There are many days I hear my alarm waking me up for school, and I dread getting out of bed. I have more than I need.

I’m fed every day, I live in a wonderful house in a beautiful city, and I attend a good school, yet I still don’t want to go. It is so easy to find the negatives in school. Things like stress and lack of interest in my classes are just some of the negatives that overpower the good.

Yet, at the perspective of another, their opinion would be completely different. Imagine a 14-year-old girl living in an African country: her name is Adisa, and she is part of a family of six living in a one-room house.

She would give anything to have the opportunity to learn, but her family can’t afford it. To her, school would not be the terrible monster that I see. She would find the positives. She would see school as a way to make new friends and learn about the world around her. Thinking about Adisa and others in her situation made me feel very guilty.

Here I am, complaining about my life when I have everything I need and more. What she would only dream of living a life like mine? I’ve been told to be successful in life. I have to succeed in school. I’ve been told to get into a good college. I have to make good grades and participate in as many school activities as possible. The way I see it, putting that much pressure on yourself to make good grades and participate in every school activity is not the best high school experience. For me, this just adds to the pressure and anxiety making it more difficult to learn.