Make ups, Break ups, and the Time it can Take up

Many high school students will spend hours studying, playing sports, hanging out with friends, sleeping, and occasionally even some time with family, but what happens when a student throws in a significant other? How many hours will they devote to that single person? Does it have a visible impact on their grades? What about performance in sports? For years, whether it has been portrayed as a distraction in films or just one large mess in songs by countless artists, it all seems to point to relationships as a hindrance. Parents, in cautioning kids to avoid the inevitable turmoil, heartbreak, and drama that it may lead too, often disapprove of high school relationships in general. However, it seems that the opposite can be just as likely.

“Well actually, my grades have improved notably, my boyfriend even helped tutor me in some cases,” said Alexa Landry, junior. “I find that it doesn’t really affect any other aspect of my life,” says Brian Anderson, also a junior, “In some cases I’m even motivated to do my work in a more efficient manner so I can see my girlfriend.

“It never seems to affect me unless the relationship overall is just stressful, and than it shows in my work a little” says another University junior, Jessica Mock.

It appears that much of the so called ‘common knowledge’ of relationships is over-exaggerated. University French teacher Madame Nortey backs up this belief by adding “A student’s over-all health, whether in areas of sports or school, is a direct reflection of the relationships health, it seems more often than not that a happy relationship will yield happier students who are more content and less stressed, where as two people who don’t ‘mesh’ well will become more stressed over drama or fights and it will reflect poorly in given aspects of life.”

It seems than that in most cases a student will strive to better, whether out of a desire to impress their significant other or to just stay on top of things so they can maybe spend more time with each other. Either way it seems very clear that a healthy happy relationship can impact a student in some very positive ways, but the opposite also remains true.   As a result, a little caution goes a long way, keeping priorities in order allows students to have a much smoother experience, one that will be worth remembering after high school.