Have you ever gotten sick and missed school because of it? If so, how did you complete the assignments you were absent for? It’s no secret that students get sick during the school year. Whether it’s a chronic illness or acute, one day of missing work can turn into ten days or even longer.
Certain times of the year call for different sicknesses. According to an article by Michael Charles, in the Winter, a cold, flu, strep throat, and runny noses are popular to see. Since people are indoors during the Winter, viruses get passed down easily from person to person. These sicknesses are common and not a concern if encountered. People can treat these sicknesses within a week with medication prescribed by their doctor.
However, chronic illnesses are more vigilant and need more attention. There are a wide range of chronic illnesses which can cause students to miss school more than usual and start to affect not only their mental health, but their physical health as well.
Chronic illnesses can consist of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and respiratory diseases. According to an article by Gabriel A. Benavidez, there is an estimation of 129 million people in the United States that have at least one major chronic disease consisting of, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. These sicknesses are much more severe and can lead to many missed school days and assignments not being completed on time. Students carrying the weight of their sickness and grades can only make matters worse. It is important for students to prioritize their well-being and find a happy medium of focusing on school and health.
Some students at Harrison High School have experienced this, including me. When I get sick, I worry about the assignments I am missing and how I will get the work done rather than working on getting myself healthier. As I am in my senior year, I know attendance is crucial and something that colleges take into consideration when accepting applicants. Students get worked up about the idea of missing school and their grades slipping, especially in their later years of high school.
Harrison Senior, Jessica Strong, missed an excessive amount of school last year due to a chronic illness. She had to email her teachers for the work and sometimes she could not get it done in time, which negatively impacted her grades and her stress. She said she felt incredibly stressed this year because she knew there was not anything she could do about her chronic illness. This is a prime example of how illnesses can affect grades and cause undue stress.
In another interview with a senior from Harrison, Madison Brooks, who had an unexpected hip injury which made her miss school due to having doctor appointments and medical procedures. She described the stress of the situation: ” I knew my grades were going to slip because of something I could not control, and that made me more stressed than the surgery.” Students should not have to worry about their grades dropping due to something they cannot control. School is already hard and stressful enough for students. Adding more assignments to worry about would make them start sweating, not because of their fever, but because of stress!
