School felt simple when we were younger- show up, scribble in notebooks, get gold stars, and everything was fine. But as we step into our teenage years, something about this changes. 

Suddenly, grades are not just marks on paper- they become the proof of your worth. The pressure to maintain a spotless record starts to weigh heavier, and before you even realize it, that weight begin to affect you. What once felt like learning becomes about surviving- and the cost? Often, it is our mental health.

Well, as far as I know, from what I have experienced growing up does affect your academic records. The expectations to have a consistent and a good academic record starts to become a burden on us.

There can be many reasons as to why your academic performance deteriorates. Now with more awareness about mental health, kids and teenagers often diagnosed with mental problems like ADHD, dyslexia and dyscalculia tend to suffer more. The ones who do not have any mental health issues end up having some other problems. Maybe his strength is not academics but something else. Extra curricular activities or sports. 

Sometimes our parents' expectations end up becoming an invisible burden for us. Yes, having a good academic record is crucial to get a good college in the future but during these years, it affects our mental health as well. 

I as a student was never good in academics. I am good with languages but I was not good in other subjects like maths and science. 

In these last two years of my school life, I have been judged over the numbers written on my exam sheet by my own classmates. At some point, this competition with students of my own class bothered me very much. Besides me, even my friends were judged on the marks we used to get in papers. And that is genuinely a very wrong thing. 

The anxiety and nervousness felt before any exam is not fake. It is real. The tension kicking in when you are handed your results is real. And most of the time, we are so scared that when we are handed the results, on the first glance the first thought that comes to our mind is, what will my parents say?

Schools are meant for education and for a better future, but they should also teach to look after ourselves and our mental health. What we learn in school is nothing in comparison to how the actual world is. Life skills and value education are taught as basic skills required for survival, but truth be told it is more than just survival. 

The ones who help us survive these years are the friends we find in school. They become the sole reason to attend everyday, and as to why school becomes more enjoyable and fun. Schools should have more than just one purpose. They should also make it their motive to support the students, who find it difficult and often suffer in hiding.