Everyone says high school is the best 4 years of your life and the most memorable time. However, others may strongly disagree.
We all have times where we utterly hate high school or simply love it.
These inferences are made because of high school experiences, which are either positive or negative.
When we were younger, we watched all kinds of shows and movies that portrayed high school as a fun environment in which everyone got along, but as we grew up we started realizing that not everything is as it seems.
To some, the realization of high school was a great disappointment, but to others, it was a great achievement.
High school requires a lot of time and energy in order to succeed and get out alive. But it depends on how hard a person works that decides whether they are successful or not.
We interviewed some of the students at ÁPB and asked them about their thoughts regarding high school.
“High school isn’t really what I expected. I thought there was going to be more entertainment, harder subjects, lots of homework, and various extra-curricular activities.” Freshmen Rosario Valencia explained.
Sophomore Aldo Anzaldo has similar thoughts, “I thought high school was going to be a little hard, but if you actually do work and pay attention, it is going to be easy.”
When a person barely starts high school, they already have certain ideas about how it’s going to be like, whether it’s about the type of friends they will have or the new teachers they will meet.
Everyone has a different portrayal of what to expect of this strange new place.
As time goes by you come to a realization that not everything is as it seems.
People and their ideas change for either the better or the worse.
Senior Miguel Cuevas shared his thoughts, “My high school experience so far has been awesome.” To this senior high school has affected him positively. However, not everyone has had a pleasant time in school.
We interviewed a person who does not want their identity revealed.
Under the circumstances we will call this person Tom .
Tom explains his experience in high school. “High school is a terrible place, full of ignorant people who make stupid mistakes and in my opinion should not even bother coming at all. All I see is a classroom full of empty minds unwillingly dragging themselves along. Nobody even puts effort into their studies anymore. It’s very frustrating to watch people be in school out of necessity and not by choice. It’s a repulsive place.”
There are various people who simply hate high school and think similarly to Tom.
In my opinion school is a place where you are almost forced to be someone you’re not.
All of these rules and expectations are bound to make a person crazy.
Students are expected to do way too much most of the time, making them stress out dramatically.
Many may also view school as a place where they are unable to do what they want, lacking freedom but when they leave they say they miss the overall experience.
While school can be a place we all dread, it can also have many positive outcomes that we sometimes fail to notice.
Senior Ernesto Tamayo told us, “The best thing about high school is that I got to meet new people that I’ve become friends with and they have not changed since the first day I met them. Also, the best thing about high school is that I got awesome teachers that can help me whenever I need it.”
The best thing about high school is probably all the new people you meet.
High school is full of opportunities that give us opinions we hold till this day.
These opportunities include meeting new people and making long lasting friendships with teachers who support your future.
As students, we out of all people have the most to say.
For example we have yearly surveys in which they ask us questions regarding school activities.
Another advantage of high school is being able find yourself.
You are able to figure out the environments you like and dislike. You are able to find out who you are.
This also helps in the future when you are trying to figure out a career you want to follow and the colleges you want to apply to.
There are many things you learn in high school.
There are important lessons and ideas that you develop throughout your time there.
We asked some of the ÁPB students what lessons they have learned during their time in high school and they responded with different answers.
Also responded by saying, “ I learned how not to procrastinate and leave work to the last minute”
Procrastination is probably one of the biggest issues for teenagers.
Some students start getting lazy when it comes to completing work and that leads to procrastination and even a bad grade in that class.
Procrastination is probably the worst habit a person can have during their time in high school.
An important lesson Miguel learned was, “Hard work pays off. Studying for a quiz will make you pass.”
In high school, hard work always pays off. Working really hard in school will always help you and your grade.
Trying hard in high school is a vital part for your future.
In contrast to procrastination, good time management is a great habit to obtain.
High school prepares you for many things in life.
High school prepares you for life in the way that there are people who help you throughout your journey.
However, high school isn’t always the best time in some peoples lives.
Many high school experiences can have impacts that are negative like peer pressure.
Peer pressure can cause a person to do things they later regret.
Peer pressure is something very hard to avoid in high school.
People can pressure you to do things like using drugs, cheating on tests, and many other things that are against the rules.
These actions can have long term effects on your life that can be looked back upon as bad high school experiences because you regret what you did.
These experiences affect student’s life directly in a way that can’t be explained.
Being in high school can be a person’s greatest pride or regret.
The pleasant high school experiences students go through include glorious things like prom, dances, graduation, certificates for good grades along with honor roll or high honor roll shirts.
These are events that make up unforgettable memories for all students from all grade levels.
High school experiences also come with life lessons that help you better your life in the future.
During this time we all learn who our real friends are and who are not.
We learn to choose who your friends are carefully and not trust all people because trust is sacred.
Students also develop maturity throughout these years being more independent every year.
Being independent is a critical factor in having a successful future in high school and college.
Independence helps a person figure out things on their own.
It makes an individual less dependent on other people who could let them down.
You acquire some of these characteristics from teachers who dedicate their time to help you reach goals you have set for yourself, thus creating a positive impact on your high school life.
As a freshman all students fully dread high school and are prepared to leave the moment they enter.
These feelings sometimes still progress through sophomore and junior year, making it so that high school is a terrible place to be.
However, others view school as an escape that allows them to learn something new and communicate with others who share the same interests and ideas as them.
By the end of Senior year, many agree that they do not want to leave and will miss being in high school going through the emotions they once had.
We asked students if they would recommend ÁPB to another person, Miguel responded, “I would recommend this school to any person who loves to learn something new everyday.”
Also responded similarly, “I would recommend this school because they help you succeed and prepare you for college.”
In my opinion, ÁPB is a very small school which makes it less diverse.
I would like to see more people from different ethnicities and learn from their cultures.
These four years of your life can be the best or the worst.
It all depends on a person to either make their experience a great one of a dreadful one.
High school is a place were a person makes mistakes, its a place were a person discovers who they truly are and what their passionate about.
High school is only the beginning to the great adventure ahead of us. So try to make it a good experience.