Month: October 2023

My mom casually mentioned to me in the spring of my third-grade homeschool year that I would attend public school. I didn’t think much of it for the rest of the school year and late into the summer. I never thought that I would actually go to public school. But suddenly, in late August, my mom took me to buy school supplies. She showed me the list of things we needed to get before the first day of school at Fellows. I was taken aback. I now realized that going to public school was a reality. I wasn’t mentally prepared at all. The rest of the summer flew by as my fears about beginning life at a new school grew. 

I was terrified by the time the first day of school came around. I knew there would be so many people, and I had no idea what they would be like. The unknown scared me. What would they think of me? Would they like me? Can I make friends? These questions were racing through my mind as I was in the car with my mom. I finally arrived, and I was overwhelmed. There were so many rules and places I had to go right away. Teachers and kids were yelling, and I didn’t know what to do. I was terrified. 

But then, all of a sudden, I had a change of thought. I decided that I was going to attack the day with confidence. People would like me for who I am, and I would not struggle to make friends. I got to class and sat next to a kid named Kevin Wang. Instead of being quiet and conceited like I normally would be, I started talking to him. We hit it off immediately. We talked and talked all class and the days to follow. We quickly became good friends, and he introduced me to his friends, who soon became my friends. To this day, we are still very close and talk to each other daily. 

That sudden change of attitude truly changed my life. If I remained scared and refused to try to talk to people, I would never have made friends with Kevin. And he never would have introduced me to others. I never would have known so many of the people I know today. Knowing these people have had such a profound impact on my life that I never could have foreseen. They have continuously positively influenced me in many ways. Reflecting, I see how facing my fears improved my life. This lesson I learned I have tried to apply to many other facets of my life as well, and just like on that first day, it has impacted my life in countless positive ways. Having courage that day was one of the best decisions I could have ever made, and I will continue to have courage for the rest of my life, knowing that it could only lead to good.

By Lane Kenny

Sometimes, when I scroll through Instagram, I occasionally see videos about what high school was like in the 1990s and the 2000s. The old, grainy videos show smiling students interacting with each other in class, the hallways, the lunchroom, etc. They playfully push each other around, confidently talk to the camera, and interact with their significant others. It seems like a joyful environment.

I will open up the comments, and they will all say the same thing, “Oh, life was so much better back then; today, school sucks.” And when comparing those videos to what school is like now, it may very well be true. 

When looking at the media attention regarding schools, new negative things surround them daily. And when talking to student populations, very few people often praise their school life.

Right now, being a student is challenging for the average teenager. And really, it is not even the academics that are the most taxing part of school for many students. It is the various other components that most people outside of the system don’t even know about. Many believe going to high school is almost all about getting good grades and achieving academic honors. While this is partially true, it is not as vital as many might think.

School is also about developing connections and creating relationships that shape one’s future. This aspect is vital to many high schoolers’ lives because it helps them manage things that will have massive impacts later in life. Creating connections and relationships with people allows high schoolers to find a sense of identity during a time when many struggle with that concept. And how someone molds their identity through their high school years can have massive impacts on how they function years later. 

What is mentioned above is a huge problem affecting so many students yearly. They try to please older people by achieving a high GPA and good test scores. And then, they are left alone to manage their fragile and malleable identities during this important phase of life. While some of it is up to the individual to figure out, not all should be done alone.

People need guidance from their elders on how to establish their identity through the connections they make. Students need less pressure from adults to relax and figure out who they want to be. If students are not allowed to do that, it will have terrible impacts on them later in life when it will be too late.

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