Dear Pepper,

I am confused and stressed out about classes for next year. I am trying to set myself up for success but don’t want to overwhelm myself with too many hard classes.

Signed,

Worried Honors Student

Dear Worried Honors Student,

Choosing classes can be hard especially when you are worried about an overload of work. I’d suggest talking to the teachers of the Honors and AP classes you are thinking of taking and clarifying the amount of homework they give. If all your classes require two or more hours of homework every night, that could definitely overwhelm you.

Maybe consider dropping one of the classes and switching it from Honors to standard. Consider which of the classes is not a prerequisite for a class you want to take in the future, or maybe isn’t relevant to what you want to study in college. You don’t need to take all Honors classes to succeed. 

Sincerely,

Pepper

What do I do when I miss school for an extended period? I have lots of work when I come back, and it is very stressful. What can I do to manage my time in a way that makes me stress less?

Dear Stressed Student, 

Communicate with your teachers. Communicate your stress and see what you can organize to make it a less stressful return. Your teachers want to help you and they can. Keep things simple, and do the most important things first and then move to smaller things. You will get past this stressful period nonetheless.

Sincerely,

Pepper