It’s where we learn and make friends, where we grow and mature. If nothing else, it’s the place we have to show up to by 8:50 a.m. Monday through Friday because it’s required by federal law.
School is something everybody has mixed feelings about. Some like it, some don’t.
In the words of senior John Hauser, “School’s school, you gotta learn. I just hate learning so early in the morning.”
Whether you like it or not, you have to go and you have to learn. You do learn, right?
That’s what I’m trying to figure out. I want to know what exactly it is that students bring home every day. No, not homework or books. I’m talking about knowledge, experience, something useful. What do students really learn during their transition from incoming freshman to graduating senior?
In my opinion, the most important lessons aren’t the ones we’re tested on or made to study. The most important lessons we learn are those about work ethic, deadlines (which I’m struggling with as I write this), people skills, and becoming a mature young adult.
Now, I’m not saying things like the Pythagorean theorem or thermodynamics aren’t useful.
They definitely are useful, and can even be interesting if that’s your field.
All I’m saying is, high school is like a four-year-long stay in a place where you can meet all kinds of people, learn all kinds of things, and choose what you want to make of yourself.
That actually sounds nice, doesn’t it? If only it were romantic as that. The reality is, there are all kinds of things that keep one from fully enjoying high school. First of all there’s the waking up early in the morning. Then there’s the undesirable people, the homework, the strict teachers.
Oh, and not to mention the various tests: standardized tests, AP tests, college placement tests, six-weeks tests; all kinds of tests.
But guess what? That’s pretty much what life is.We’re all going to have jobs that require us to get up early.
We’re all going to have to deal with people we don’t like. We’re all probably going to have a lousy boss at some point in our lives. As for tests, they could come in the form of a job interview, a driving test, physical training, parenting. You get the picture.
Like I said before, the most important lessons we learn in high school are those about life.
High school gives us a glimpse at what we’re going to go through and, hopefully, succeed at in life. So if you don’t much care for high school and think you’re going to escape those early mornings and teachers and tests once you graduate, well… you’re in for a surprise.
