Some thoughts on High School
This is my column for the week. I'm sending it off in about 15 minutes, so any comments you may have will be appreciated. Normally, I'd make you buy the paper to read my opinions, but these are more reflections on my life and very live-journal appropriate. So here it is.
I’ve learned so many things in high school; it’s hard to keep them all straight sometimes. There’s plenty that I’ve forgotten, but I’ve learned more from high school than algebra, chemistry, and how to write a good essay. I’ve learned lessons from high school that I will remember my whole life.
The first lesson I learned was the most surprising to me. During my freshman year, I would wonder what it was that kept me from being “cool”, and what it was that made everyone else cool. I still haven’t figured out exactly what formula adds up to being a well-liked person, but I have learned one important thing: the coolest person you can be is who you are. People don’t like phonies. With a little self-confidence and a smile, it’s amazing how many friends you’ll make.
Being the coolest person you can be starts with genuinely liking yourself as a person. There are parts of my persona that I would love to change, but on the whole, I am proud of myself. I recognize my flaws, and accept them. One of my favorite shows, Freaks and Geeks, summarized my feelings about being cool nicely. “If you believe you’re the coolest person in the world, then, all of a sudden, you ARE the coolest person in the world.” It’s simple advice, and the beauty of it is that it works, as long as you don’t become too big-headed.
The next lesson came slowly. Rarely during freshman year was I at the school much past 3:45 p.m., but as the years went by, I got involved with more and more extracurricular activities. I found out that the more involved I got, the better I felt. The more I gave to my school, the more I felt I was getting out of it. By senior year, I was so involved that I rarely had much time to spare, but I found I didn’t miss my free time.
Activities get you involved with the school, obviously, but they do more than that. There is nothing quite like a friendship formed between team members. You get to know people, and they get to know you. Getting involved with activities also had a surprising side-effect too. Because I had less time and an increasing homework load, I had to focus more of my free-time to my studies, and as such, I got more out of my education. I feel this is the reason that I remember far more from junior and senior year, academic wise, than sophomore or freshman year,
I’ll never forget one night freshman year. It was about 6:00, and I was incredibly nervous. I wanted to try out for the spring play, but I wasn’t sure if I’d get in. I was so nervous that I didn’t even want to go, but my father noticed something was up, and asked me what was going on. He encouraged me to try out and took me to the auditorium. I earned my first part in a play, and I loved it. I’ve tried out for every play since then and drama has been the focus of my extracurricular activities since.
I don’t know what high school would have been like for me without the theatre. I definitely would not be the person I am today, because it has been such a major influence in my life. I believe everyone has something like this for them. Be it athletics, forensics, choir, speech, student government, or cheerleading, everyone has an activity without which high school would not have been the same. For me, it was the drama department. Looking back on my high school career, I realize that it was times like trying out for that first play, when I stepped out of my comfort zone that I ended up having the best experiences. It’s these times when I learn most about who I am, and most of the time I like what I find.
Finally, I’ve leaned that given time and opportunity, the things you initially dislike can oftentimes become the things you love, or at least things that you have learned from. I learned this from my academic classes, especially English classes. I never considered myself a writer, and I definitely didn’t enjoy writing, but I stuck with it, and now I like to write and I take pride in what I have written.
More specifically, this lesson was learned from the fall play my senior year. I was cast as Christian, a part that-in the initial reading of the script-I hated. He was boring and shallow, but it was the biggest part I had ever gotten, so I stuck with it. Through some exploration and creativity, Christian became my favorite character in the whole play. I brought laughs to my scenes, and I look back on that experience more fondly than any other play.
These are the lessons that matter to me in my life. When I look forward to college, sometimes I get scared, but when I remember all the things I’ve learned from high school, I feel much better. One more thing I’ve learned from high school-always go out with a bang. Seeing as this is my last column, I leave my readers with a *BANG!*
I’ve learned so many things in high school; it’s hard to keep them all straight sometimes. There’s plenty that I’ve forgotten, but I’ve learned more from high school than algebra, chemistry, and how to write a good essay. I’ve learned lessons from high school that I will remember my whole life.
The first lesson I learned was the most surprising to me. During my freshman year, I would wonder what it was that kept me from being “cool”, and what it was that made everyone else cool. I still haven’t figured out exactly what formula adds up to being a well-liked person, but I have learned one important thing: the coolest person you can be is who you are. People don’t like phonies. With a little self-confidence and a smile, it’s amazing how many friends you’ll make.
Being the coolest person you can be starts with genuinely liking yourself as a person. There are parts of my persona that I would love to change, but on the whole, I am proud of myself. I recognize my flaws, and accept them. One of my favorite shows, Freaks and Geeks, summarized my feelings about being cool nicely. “If you believe you’re the coolest person in the world, then, all of a sudden, you ARE the coolest person in the world.” It’s simple advice, and the beauty of it is that it works, as long as you don’t become too big-headed.
The next lesson came slowly. Rarely during freshman year was I at the school much past 3:45 p.m., but as the years went by, I got involved with more and more extracurricular activities. I found out that the more involved I got, the better I felt. The more I gave to my school, the more I felt I was getting out of it. By senior year, I was so involved that I rarely had much time to spare, but I found I didn’t miss my free time.
Activities get you involved with the school, obviously, but they do more than that. There is nothing quite like a friendship formed between team members. You get to know people, and they get to know you. Getting involved with activities also had a surprising side-effect too. Because I had less time and an increasing homework load, I had to focus more of my free-time to my studies, and as such, I got more out of my education. I feel this is the reason that I remember far more from junior and senior year, academic wise, than sophomore or freshman year,
I’ll never forget one night freshman year. It was about 6:00, and I was incredibly nervous. I wanted to try out for the spring play, but I wasn’t sure if I’d get in. I was so nervous that I didn’t even want to go, but my father noticed something was up, and asked me what was going on. He encouraged me to try out and took me to the auditorium. I earned my first part in a play, and I loved it. I’ve tried out for every play since then and drama has been the focus of my extracurricular activities since.
I don’t know what high school would have been like for me without the theatre. I definitely would not be the person I am today, because it has been such a major influence in my life. I believe everyone has something like this for them. Be it athletics, forensics, choir, speech, student government, or cheerleading, everyone has an activity without which high school would not have been the same. For me, it was the drama department. Looking back on my high school career, I realize that it was times like trying out for that first play, when I stepped out of my comfort zone that I ended up having the best experiences. It’s these times when I learn most about who I am, and most of the time I like what I find.
Finally, I’ve leaned that given time and opportunity, the things you initially dislike can oftentimes become the things you love, or at least things that you have learned from. I learned this from my academic classes, especially English classes. I never considered myself a writer, and I definitely didn’t enjoy writing, but I stuck with it, and now I like to write and I take pride in what I have written.
More specifically, this lesson was learned from the fall play my senior year. I was cast as Christian, a part that-in the initial reading of the script-I hated. He was boring and shallow, but it was the biggest part I had ever gotten, so I stuck with it. Through some exploration and creativity, Christian became my favorite character in the whole play. I brought laughs to my scenes, and I look back on that experience more fondly than any other play.
These are the lessons that matter to me in my life. When I look forward to college, sometimes I get scared, but when I remember all the things I’ve learned from high school, I feel much better. One more thing I’ve learned from high school-always go out with a bang. Seeing as this is my last column, I leave my readers with a *BANG!*