[Student Voices] You Can Do It
Published: 15 Sep. 2025, 10:18
Estell Lim, Centum Elementary School
by Estell Lim, Centum Elementary School
I was tugging at my head in front of a giant pile of homework. “How many pages do I have left?” The answer was not encouraging: 20 more to go. “Ugh,” I thought. Before I sat down to work, I’d gone to the dentist and had an aching tooth pulled. My head still pounded and it felt like my jaw was being poked by a stick as I stared at all the work on my desk. A thought occurred to me: Should I just quit? Should I go to CU to buy some snacks? Should I have a movie night with my friends?
But I went on – with gritted teeth. When I was done, it was midnight. I went to my parents’ room and told them how hard it was. My dad replied:
“No matter what you study, you are able to create opportunities. It doesn’t have to be math or science – even with things like swimming and golf, if we study, we can grab the many opportunities brought to us. That’s how we can succeed and be happy!”
The next day, when I was tired and overwhelmed by work once more, I thought of what my parents had said. I was surprised to discover that a few words, if they come from the heart, can give someone the energy and strength to get over almost anything, and do things they didn’t know they could do.
But the problem is not 100% solved. Stress is another obstacle that people face while studying. Sometimes, my younger sister gives me stress. Once I had an art project I was really proud of that was due the next day. But when my sister was bored, she ripped it. She wouldn’t say why! The only thing she would mutter was: “Just because.”
Stress began to loom in my mind. Later that day, one of my friends at school was being annoying. He was screaming in everyone’s ear, making weird noises like “HONK!” or “GRUH!” He even cheated at dodgeball by taking the ball away from the other team, and when the teacher scolded him, he just chuckled! My stress doubled. Later, one of the strict teachers at school reprimanded me and my besties who were chattering together, and we got a huge scolding. My stress doubled again.
When I got home, I told my mom all about it. Surprisingly, after I was done talking about the art project, the annoying friend, and the strict teacher, I felt better! When we have stress, we need to let the stressful things go by telling people about them. Think of a balloon and imagine that stress is air. If we put air into the balloon, it will become bigger. And if the air inside it reaches a certain amount, it will burst. In the same way, if stress becomes bigger and bigger in our minds, one day, we will explode! But if we talk about our stress and get rid of it, we can focus on our studies again.
Steve Jobs once said: “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” This is the best way to study well. For example, I once had a group science project that looked so complicated, so hard, and had so many steps that it seemed impossible. I didn’t want to do it at first. But the communication with my classmates was fun. Working as a team inspired me. Trial and error encouraged us. I loved it! When you love what you’re doing, the work becomes easy.
The next time you’re sitting in front of a large pile of homework, don’t listen to the voice that says: “Just quit. Go have a snack party. Go play with your friends. Quit!” Try to find what you love about the work. If you’re stressed, talk about it. And always remember these four words: You can do it!
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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