Why is our time so meaningless in the eyes of those who control us?

   I didn’t realize when it happened, because it came slowly and I was continually told it was just a part of life, but all of a sudden I didn’t have any free time.

   Two weeks ago when I was running on about six hours of sleep for three days straight, I was thinking I could really use a two-hour nap.

   But I thought about it, and I realized I didn’t have two hours free for four days straight.

   This is not right.

   It was a Sunday night and I wouldn’t have free time until Thursday.

   I was depressed, to say the least.

   At that point, I was wondering if I was the only one in such a terrible position. So when I came to school the next day I asked around in all of my classes, and guess what?

   I’m not alone.

   For some reason it’s become completely normal for a student in high school to have six classes because of blocked schedules, three to four hours of homework, sports practice on weekdays and games on weekends, SAT prep courses, personal statements to write, college applications to fill out and a job to pay for a car and/or senior trip.

   So that would leave just enough time for…

   Nothing!

   Oh, but it’s all OK. I’ve been told many times that I’m just a kid, and I can handle it. Besides, everyone has had to deal with it; our parents completely understand what we’re going through… Ha ha.

   It’s hard to stifle a sad laugh every time I hear that argument. It’s incredibly clear that things are not what they used to be.

   The level of competition in school is ridiculous, especially here at Granite Bay.

   If you don’t take classes over summer school, take six AP classes, and get an A in every single one, then you’re not going to be anywhere near the top 10 in your class.

   The worst part is that the system isn’t going to change anytime soon, because there are continually more and more kids willing to sacrifice all of their free time and their high school experience in order to get into a good college.

   Admittedly, I come a little frighteningly close to that group, but at the risk of being hypocritical, I must say that I fight for my free time as much as I can.

   Now let’s throw sports into the mix. Anyone who has played high school sports competitively knows that coaches expect full and absolute commitment, and they have no problem with a three- to four-hour practice on a weekday.

   Of course, we don’t need that free time – we’re just kids.

   But I like my free time! And I want it back.

   My only option seems like making my course load easier next semester, but I keep getting told by my counselor, my parents, my prospective colleges and my teachers that I can’t lighten my load – it would look like I’m coasting through my senior year.

   I’m told I just have to deal with it for time being.

   Now, I’m not sure if this is the case for a majority of high school students – in fact I’m quite sure it’s not – but nevertheless it is the predicament of far too many.

   So all I’m asking for is a little less homework, a little less practice, a little less stress and a little more time.

   Because I am quite tired of waiting four days to take a nap.

 The endless avalanche of makeup work that awaits me. It’s agonizing and terrible and goes on forever, like a Saw film. But, unlike a Saw film, it’s hard to learn any valuable lessons in the process.

  I think I’ve developed a good theory as to why makeup work is so drawn-out, when compared to an average night of homework. When you miss a day of school, for whatever reason, you’re missing the lesson and the worksheets you were supposed to do in class and tonight’s homework and last night’s homework (since you didn’t turn it in). Multiply this times four, times however many days you’re out.

  And, here’s the best part: When you do have to makeup all of this glorious work, you have to do it half-sick, and on top of current homework assigned the day you got back. I don’t know how people manage.

 All of this would be easier to deal with if students returned to school when they are actually healthy, instead of just less sick.  But we – the students – are all so terrified of missing school that we run back into class the moment our fever is under 100. Which is bad, because, for example, a person infected with H1N1 can spread it up to a week after their symptoms have gone away.

  School policy seems rather flakey when it comes to absence. Earlier this year, at the height of the H1N1 scare, schools were urging their students to stay home if they were sick.

  But, at the same time, school officials frown on absences in general, and, needless to say at this point, makeup work is as difficult to recover from as the illness itself. So we’re left with classrooms full of contagious zombies with loads of makeup work to do.

  I think it’s a flawed system.

  To be clear, I’m not saying makeup work is itself a bad idea. It’s the sheer volume of it that I object to. Some teachers try to alleviate the pressure by posting assignments online or giving students extra days, but not all of them are so forgiving.

  I think that students should be partially excused from the homework they missed, and instead required to makeup in-class work. Another solution would be to offer alternative projects, such as an English report on the student’s activities while sick, or a line graph of the student’s temperature. Be creative.

  The bottom line is that students absent for health reasons weren’t goofing off – just unlucky. And a bit of leniency from staff would be a huge help to those of us still playing catch-up.