Like the slam poetry my English teacher recently showed us said, the most important lessons aren't actually the ones we've been taught.
At the time this is posted, I'll be sitting through my high school graduation ceremony. I figured I'd reflect on what I'd picked up non-academically through four years of public high school.
This is actually the closest picture I can find to the beginning of my freshman year;; We apparently have no pictures from the first day, which honestly, is only slightly surprising.
This was taken on Friday at our senior picnic. This last week or so of classes was hands-down the most fun I've had all of high school, and I'm really glad I was able to document some of it.
Friends are #1
I've been lucky in the fact that my middle school was the only feeder school for my high school, so I've been with most of my classmates since 6th grade. I was lucky in that my closest friends from elementary school ended up at the same high school, too, despite the different tracking we did in middle school.
I'm also lucky in the fact that (what seems like) half my graduating class is going to community college, which means I don't really have to say goodbye to them yet. I may not have talked to a lot of my classmates much, but I still have enjoyed seeing them every day in class or even just in passing in the hallway. I've made a lot of good friends over the years and I've learned a lot from all of them. I still can't imagine what it will be like in the future to not see them every day, or to see them move across the world to follow their dreams.
Find your effort level.
As I like to repeat over and over again, I've had senioritis since freshman year. I actually did my homework back then, of course, at least on a semi-regular basis. But what's the fun in that?
I got my first "hard" class in sophomore year when I took AP NSL. I actually had to read for that class. And I kept up! I also had a really good teacher who was scary when we all failed, so of course we tried our best collectively not to get on her bad side.
After passing AP NSL, everything else has seemed pretty easy. I've taken five AP courses -- just one short of getting a medal ;;
Of course, I've gotten more lectures than I can count about "needing to try harder in school" and "developing a better work ethic", but I don't really see either of those developing in college, either. I've been spoiled by public school and all the regulations of No Child Left Behind. In case you haven't been in school since 2001, NCLB basically brings everyone down to the lowest child instead of trying to elevate the lower kids in the class. The HSAs we took for our graduation requirements were so easy you'd probably have to actively try to fail them.
I can't tell you how grateful I am that I took 6 elective classes this year. I had so much more time to devote to what I actually wanted to do. Honestly, if you're an underclassman, please don't stress yourself out by taking too many hard courses. I don't think it's worth it. Enjoy your life!!
Work smart, not hard.
My English teacher told us this last year and it was a complete revelation for me because I'd finally found a way to put my outlook on life into words. A lot of kids at my school -- especially the underclassmen -- put in a lot more effort into their schoolwork than they need to. Like, I know getting good grades is nice, but I really don't see the point in sacrificing health and friendships just to get the best grade on an assignment.
Of course, I'm pretty sure a lot of people could argue that this motto has just made me more lazy, but ┐( •̀ᄇ• ́)┌ Sorry not sorry that I had hours more free time to do what I want than you did because you decided to do work the hard way.
I love writing.
I'd written on and off through elementary and middle school, but it was never coherent and I never shared it with anyone. (And I never will. It was terrible.) Two of my friends were working on a Pokemon fanfiction, and that inspired me to write my own. It was my first real attempt at storytelling coherently, and while I can't write off my fanfics as "worthless" or anything like that, I obviously didn't really know what I was doing. And I still don't really know even now.
But that basis in fanfiction that diverged from canon opened me up to a ton of "what ifs" that have now become Aperture. It's two years old at this point and I can see how much I've improved just by looking at where I started with it.
Aperture has also allowed me to preserve some of my experiences and memories into writing. I have to adapt a lot of things in order to make it fit, but doing so helps me remember it better, and I'm glad that I have so much to look back on later. A lot of my friends have become or have inspired characters -- whether they know it or not -- and I'm really grateful to all of them. My friends have put up with endless talk about Aperture and have helped me brainstorm and improve the story, and I can only hope that I do them justice in my writing.
Anyway, I guess I was lucky in the fact that high school wasn't absolute hell for me. I actually enjoyed it -- this year especially. It's strange to think that today is something I could never really picture happening. Back in elementary school, or even in sophomore year, I could never really picture myself being here. I'm sad to think about how I have to move on from this period of time, but I hope that the coming years are just as bright.
Recently, I've been thinking more and more about that rhetorical question about how your younger self would see you. I specifically remember trying to picture myself here in 5th grade, but I don't really know how I would've reacted to how I am now. I don't think I've changed much. I actually think I would be amazed at how little has changed, to see that I still have such great friends and that I have so many wonderful memories.
I'd also be really embarrassed of the melancholic mood I've put myself in trying to write this, so I'll stop here. I guess I don't have too much to be sad about, because like I said, I'm not losing as much as I could be.
Edit: I've officially graduated!!
I cried during graduation. More than once. I only made it fifteen minutes into the ceremony before I turned into a hot mess. Despite that, though, I had a lot of fun today. I got to spend a lot of time with my family and friends and I'm really grateful for that.
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