The first week of school always seems to follow the same script. 

New binders, materials, and a stack of notebooks you just got from Target quickly fill up with detailed notes from a history class, or worksheets you finished 10 minutes before class. 

It feels like summer ended way too soon. 

Teachers can pile on homework and projects within the first few weeks of school, and while starting strong is important, it can overwhelm students, especially after two months of summer. 

For students in honors or AP classes, getting work right away is expected. But even in these classes, the transition can feel like a sudden rush because students are simultaneously adjusting to new teachers and new demands. The workload itself isn’t surprising—it’s the timing, piled on top of every other change, which magnifies the stress. 

So, does this really set students up for success- or does it just set them up for stress? I would argue the latter.

Students come back adjusting to new teachers and schedules, and this transition can be mentally exhausting. However, this isn’t just a feeling that students describe; it’s backed up by research.

Landry Therapy and Wellness, a virtual and in-person therapy service, citing- a 2023 study conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) which noted that about 75 percent of students feel significantly stressed when transitioning back to school in the fall. This isn’t just a general stress, but a spike that occurs during the opening weeks, when routines and expectations are not yet established. 

This doesn’t mean that schools should cut extracurriculars entirely in September, but rather that teachers could stagger large assignments or projects until students have actually settled into their routines. 

So if the majority of students are already walking into the year feeling this way, why should teachers pile on extra stress in the form of ‘homework marathons?’ Instead of helping us adjust, the workload only intensifies the pressures students are under.

A Stanford University study found that 50 percent of students interviewed viewed homework as a primary source of stress. Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at the graduate school of education, and her colleagues found that homework given in excessiveness can diminish how effective it is and can often be unsuccessful. 

Rethinking this approach doesn’t mean that learning standards should be reduced, but it means that teachers should start to realize that effective learning occurs when students are focused and not overwhelmed by assignments before they have even established a rhythm. 

And by “rhythm,” I mean the point where students have adjusted to their new schedules and can manage both academic and extracurricular demands without feeling behind. For many, this takes the first couple weeks.

Ultimately, education should prepare students for development rather than academic burnout, especially in the first few weeks of school. 

Of course, students share responsibility in balancing their schedules, and some may need to reassess how many extracurriculars they take on. But schools also play a role in shaping whether the beginning of the year feels manageable or overwhelming. A balance can be achieved: rather than overwhelming students immediately, educators can create a launch that encourages both academic success and personal well-being.