So here's something that's been under my skin lately. Teachers have been telling us, at least in my school district, that they're making things this hard to prepare us for college since the seventh grade.
College. In the SEVENTH GRADE.
I don't know about you, but in seventh grade my only thought about college was that I'd probably just go to Penn State, following in the footsteps of my older sister.
Now, I want to go out of state, experience something completely new. But that's besides the point.
We're all falling asleep in class and not doing our homework, getting anxiety attacks, suffering from mental disorders (this hasn't affected me personally), extreme lack of sleep, and extremely slacking on the motivation front.
Well, gee, who would've thought. We're burning kids out too fast. I've seen it hit my friends full force, to the point where they just can't get themselves to do schoolwork. Of course it's quite possible that it's just a personal lack of drive.
But it breaks my heart to see so many people giving up so young and feeling so lost and terrified of the future. I've felt the pressures and lack of motivation too, of course. It's especially bad this semester. I've still managed to get good grades in all honors classes, so I guess I haven't felt it as bad as some of my friends. But let me tell you, I see where they're coming from.
When you get home from a grueling 6 hours of being tested on things you can't find it within yourself to care about, it's so hard to get yourself to do it for another five hours. But yet I do it. Much later than I should have started, sure. I procrastinate a ton and do the bare minimum I have to get done that night, but I still get it done mostly every night.
There have been many a nights where I've felt like giving up, where I've sat on the middle of my bedroom floor just staring at the ceiling, too stressed to move. Where I've sobbed uncontrollably feeling like I'm watching my future crash down around me. I suffer from migraines, and having one of those is a whopping pain in the butt, add on having to memorize 30 pages of a textbook and it's just downright torture. I played field hockey in the fall and coming home at 10 pm when you're physically unable to move and having to study is one of the hardest mental challenges to overcome. And I'm sure I have it pretty darn good compared to a lot of people.
I've read many a tumblr post and tweet saying how grades do not define you. If you feel like that, good for you, but if you're like me and feel like they mean more than anything, let me just tell you this: you can do it. I know I sound dumb saying this when clearly, I don't know you. But I have faith that each one of us high schoolers can find it within ourselves to put the BS that we're going to fail at life if we don't get an A out of our minds one more day, pull up our big girl panties, study our butts off, and do the best we can. If you tried your best and your best is a 42%, as much as it feels like it, it's not the end of the world.
Say it with me. IT'S NOT THE END OF THE WORLD.
Trying your best and asking for help and doing all that you can is different than using "grades do not define you" as a reason for not studying. Just my opinion.
Work your butt off, but know that you're only in high school. You're only a teenager. Stuff happens. As hard as it is to get yourself to believe this, at least it is for me, you can do it and you will be successful if you put your mind to it.
XOXO,
Cass
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