Peer Review

Ayala

Paulina Ayala

Loretta Kennedy

English 10

10 November 2021

Research Argument of JROTC

The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) is a great program for High Schoolers. JROTC was created as part of the National Defense Act of 1916 to teach its cadets about leadership, responsibility, and motivate them to want to be better citizens. JROTC instructors choose several cadets that have shown hard work to join JROTC staff which gives students practice on how to work as a leader. By doing that they rank the cadets into a higher position making them the leaders for the cadets. A staff member’s job is to take care of the rest of the cadets. If a cadet has done a great job, a staff member’s job is to hold a ceremony for that cadet. Depending on how high the cadet’s rank is as staff their job will also to lead the whole Battalion to a march. Sometimes even during the Veterans Parade. If the staff member makes a mistake, it is their responsibility to take credit for it. Once a week all the staff members must meet during school and after school to plan events and work on what they are in charge of. For example, an S1 is a Second Lieutenant. They are in charge of dealing with keeping track of the awards cadet’s get. They are in charge of planning the ceremony and handing the awards to the cadets. Even though JROTC is a great program it does have its problems. Being part of JROTC’s staff can sometimes be a lot. Even though it’s a wonderful opportunity to learn greater things it is a job that you must be consistent with which can be very tiring. Cadets most of the time have to stay after school for hours doing their job as part of the staff and then have to come back home to do their homework from all six or seven classes they had for the day. JROTC should reduce its work on staff members because High schoolers being overworked could lead to health issues due to stress, lack of sleep, and depression.

High Schoolers being overworked could lead to health issues due to stress. According to American Psychological Association, it states, “Chronic stress, or a constant stress experienced over a prolonged period of time, can contribute to long-term problems for heart and blood vessels. The consistent and ongoing increase in heart rate, and the elevated levels of stress hormones and of blood pressure, can take a toll on the body. This long-term ongoing stress can increase the risk for hypertension, heart attack, or stroke.” This demonstrates how stress can lead to health issues like a heart attack or a stroke. High Schoolers already have to deal with getting homework from six different classes. Some may be in sports, clubs, or even in a play. This information is important because students are constantly being overworked and having to be a staff member in JROTC adds to that stress. Being overworked can cause stress for young people which can be dangerous.

Students are often being pressured to do better in school which adds more stress. According to a scholarly article, “High School Students are Being Overworked” by Nadia Turley who is part of school staff, she states, “Students are often put under the understanding that their grades are most important and 72% of students have felt pressure from their parents or teachers to drop their extracurricular activities to fully focus on their academics.” This quote demonstrates that students are constantly stressing over getting approval from their parents and teachers that leads them to only focusing on school and not getting a break from it. This is important because students are already dealing with the pressure from parents and teachers which can be stressful for students. Being overworked from being a staff member in JROTC can add to that stress. And then what happens to take care of themselves?

Students being overworked can lead to health issues due to lack of sleep. According to Healthline, it states, “Sleep deprivation prevents your immune system from building up its forces. If you don’t get enough sleep, your body may not be able to fend off invaders, and it may also take you longer to recover from illness. Long-term sleep deprivation also increases your risk for chronic conditions, such as diabetes mellitus and heart disease.” This quote shows that lack of sleep affects your immune system which is what protects us from viruses and bacteria. If your immune system cannot protect you, you are more likely to get sick and it will take a long time to recover. Lack of sleep can also cause many problems like diabetes, Mellitus, and heart disease. It is recommended that teenagers get 8 to 10 hours of sleep. Teenagers being overworked decreases the hours of sleep they will get which causes sleep deprivation. Also, according to the American Sleep Association, it states, “Lack of sleep can lead to fatigue while performing demanding tasks, as well as decreased motivation, white can cause a decline in grades, poor mental, and physical health impaired motor control, and delayed reaction time”. This demonstrates that lack of sleep can affect a teenager’s mental and physical health. Even though school is especially important for a student’s future, their mental health should be their priority. Since students are overworked, they end up putting their work over their mental health.

Lack of sleep can prevent students from learning new things and affect how they do in school. According to American Health Association, it states, “Students who write essays while experiencing sleep deprivation may tend to repeat words and may be unable to think of new ideas nor engage their creativity.” This demonstrates that students tend to have a hard time at school because of lack of sleep. As you sleep your brain forms memories from the day. The more time you sleep the more students are able to memorize what they have learned from the day including what they have learned from school. The less time they have to sleep the less they will be able to remember what they have been taught which affects how a student does in school. Students being overworked are more than likely to not sleep enough because they have so much work to get done.

Students being overworked can lead to health issues due to depression. According to rtor.org, it states, “As previously mentioned, depression is a severe mood disorder and a medical illness that can negatively affect your way of thinking, acting, and feeling. It leads to feelings of sadness, loss of interest in formerly pleasurable activities, and a variety of physical and emotional problems. Additionally, it can decrease a person’s ability to perform effectively at work and function at home.” When students are overworked students hardly ever get breaks or socialize with other people which can lead to depression. Depression can affect a student’s mental health a lot and can also affect how they work in school. Students who are overworked are most likely to get depressed.

Even though JROTC staff members are overworked it can be very beneficial. According to Major Raymond Schmidt, an instructor of JROTC, he states, “The JROTC cadets displayed a statistically lower score, showing better self agreement than typical high school students...Even though the cadets were significantly younger than the Typical High School students, the higher personal development is the more important.” This quote shows that JROTC has personally developed students so much more than those who didn’t attend JROTC. Even though JROTC staff members are dealing with being overworked, it has it benefits. JROTC can teach leadership skills and personally develop students. But the consequence in that is the student’s health.

Being part of JROTC staff can be beneficial to students but it adds on to the work students are already getting from school. This can lead to stress, lack of sleep, and depression which can all lead to danger in a student’s health. Even though giving great amounts of work to a students can prepare them for the real world it’s important to keep in mind that they are still young people and still need to care for their own mental and physical health.

Work cited

American Psychological association. “Stress Effects on the Body.” American Psychological Association, 1 Nov. 2018, www.apa.org/topics/stress/body.

Guest Author for www.rtor.org. “Depression and Its Effect on Your Life.” Resources To Recover, Guest Author for www.rtor.org, 18 Mar. 2020, www.rtor.org/2020/03/18/depression-and-its-effect-on-your-life

Roban, Whitney, PhD. “Sleep Deprivation and Teens.” American Sleep Association, Whitney Roban, 1 June 2019, www.sleepassociation.org/sleep-disorders/sleep-deprivation/sleep-deprivation-and-teens.

Schmidt, Major Raymond. “EBSCOhost Login.” JROTC CADETS IN LEADERSHIP TRAINING DISPLAY SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT THAN TYPICAL STUDENTS., Major Raymond Schmidt, search.ebscohost.com/?authtype=cookie,ip,uid#AN=6352629&db=asn. Accessed 29 Oct. 2021.

Turley, Nadia. “High School Students Are Being Overworked.” The High Life, Nadia Turley, 13 Sept. 2018, mhshighlife.com/2018/09/13/high-school-students-are-being-overworked.

Watson, Stephanie. “The Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Your Body.” Healthline, Stephanie Watson, 15 May 2020, www.healthline.com/health/sleep-deprivation/effects-on-body#:%7E:text=A%20lack%20of%20sleep%20can%20also%20make%20you,you%20eat.%20Insulin%20controls%20your%20blood%20sugar%20level