Academic Pressure: A major cause of stress among students

 
Intro: 
 N: Hello, my name is TN
 M: And my name is NM. We are from 11 English of NCT high school for
the gifted. Are you ready for our presentation? Let’s go
Hook: 

  
 M: Those matters have brought home to us about the issue of academic
pressure put on students, especially the gifted ones, nowadays. And today,
we as students in NCT High School for the Gifted and those who have
overcome that problem, feel very honored to be participating in this English
speaking contest to present about academic pressure and some solutions for
this issue. 

 N: So what is academic pressure? Academic pressure is the stress

experienced by students because of their inability to perform well enough in
school or their fear that they will be unable to perform well enough in
school.

 M: There are plenty of causes of this problem. First, students may be placed
under pressure by expectations of their parents. Almost every parent wants
their children to get good grades, achievements because they consider them
as requisitions for their children to have a bright future. But this
inadvertently creates a phobia about scores and puts their children under
enormous pressure.

 N: Second, peer pressure is also a cause of this problem. Children are

usually compared with their classmates in terms of scores and test results.
Even when a student gets good marks, he or she can still feel unsatisfied
because their friends get excellent marks. This gradually creates a low self-
esteem, a feeling of inferiority to their friends, and a lack of belief in their
own abilities.

 M: Third, academic pressure can also be brought about by teachers. There is

a number of educators who have credit mania and always demand their
students to be well-rounded in order for them to be considered as “good
teachers”. Moreover, they are often biased against students getting bad
marks, and this has created pressure among those students.

 N: So, how can academic pressure affect students? They will first meet with
declining well-being. Excessive levels of academic stress can result in an
increased prevalence of psychological and physical problems like stress
 related disorders, fatigue, irritability and depression. Gradually, those
prolonged problems would in turn inflict adverse impacts on students’
performance at school and then make them more and more stressed. 

 M: This vicious circle would finally give rise to the hatred or even fear of
school and exams among pressured students, which may lead to opposing
acts namely dropping out of school, truant from school, falling into
gambling, addiction to smoking, drugs, alcohol ... in order to intentionally
protest and avoid reality. 

 N: Here are some solutions to deal with academic stress. As for students.
thinking positively is important. Take control of your stress and anxiety by
learning effective techniques to combat it. This helps you concentrate and
study, take decisions and solve problems. Also, students have to tolerate
their own ability, accept that everyone has their own strengths and
weaknesses to reduce peer pressure.

 M: The second solution for students is getting organized. Create a schedule

to help manage their academic activities more efficiently. One way to reduce
stress is to keep a minimalist study space. It helps with test preparation and
encourages more studying. Make sure you maintain good sleeping and
eating habits and, from time to time, go out for a run, a ride on your bike,
and exercise.

 N: Additionally, parents have a key role to play in reducing the pressure

among the students. Communicating and understanding is the key. We all
want to feel that our time and effort is recognized by those who love and
care for us. By communicating with children, parents will empathize with
their kids more. Let them know that parents are willing to keep them
company in their distress. 

 M: Similar to parents, teachers can play a powerful role in limiting pressure.

They should give students an adequate amount of homework and work
together as a team to avoid piling on too much homework on the same night
or scheduling tests on the same day. Furthermore, educators must treat all
students as equals irrespective of their learning ability. Finally, they should
 talk to students more to acknowledge and help them overcome their
difficulties.

 N: To sum up,  academic pressure is a challenging problem in our society

nowadays. Therefore, everybody should join hands to handle it. 

 M: As students who have suffered from the problem, we would like to say to
parents and teachers: “Please don’t hold unrealistic expectations of us  and
then they will create disappointment for you. Please understand that each
person has their own strengths and shortcomings. We’re not geniuses, we’re
only humans.