Hello, I am your student in that one class. I have seven classes. I have multiple extracurricular activities. I have a job. I volunteer. I take care of my little brother whenever my family needs. And you tell me I “could have found time to finish that assignment”.

I’m sure you don’t understand. You don’t see me in my other classes, you don’t see me on my feet for six hours after the school day, and you don’t see me up until 2:30 a.m. every night getting work done. You don’t know how much caffeine is taking up my body to be able to stand the next 30 minutes of this class. I know you don’t know my life story, and hey I don’t know yours. But when you see me, nothing but a student who’s being forced to grow up in under a year, and I have dark circles under my eyes and I’m close to tears because I’m begging you to understand that I couldn’t finish the fifth long-term assignment you gave me this week- I have a hard time understanding how you’re telling me to finish the overpowering workload.

It’s not that I don’t try (I try as hard as my weak body and failing mental health will let me. And then I push it some more).

I know this is your job, and I know that to you I am just a face you see for 50 minutes a day. But you aren’t my only teacher, you aren’t giving me my only homework assignments, and my entire life isn’t centered inside of the brick house. How do you not understand this by now?

In case you’re still confused, let me tell it to you plain and simple- I am in AP, IB, and I do co-curricular classes. You handing me four different assignments and expecting them all done in under a week just isn’t reasonable. I know the “smart kids” can handle anything, but what if we can’t? What if we need just a moment off, just a moment to ourselves? Because of your and other teacher’s homework- WE CAN’T.

And I am still in disbelief that you have been teaching for x amount of years and you still can’t understand that your class isn’t my only priority. And while I understand you need me to get work done (and that’s not the problem, because I’ll do it!) but when you make me feel bad for not making you the very first priority because I fell asleep before I was able to finish that assignment- that’s when I have a problem.