It’s the third grade. I’m friends with everyone in my class, and there’s no drama. After school, I play until bedtime. No responsibilities. No stress. No problems. The only issue: I didn’t know what I had until it was gone. The elementary school kids want to be in middle school and have
lockers. The middle school kids want to go to high school and drive. Now all we want to do is go to college. But I want to learn from my past mistake and enjoy my time in high school.
We didn’t understand the negatives of growing up, only the bo- nuses that came with it.
Elementary school students aren’t worried about getting into a good college or studying for AP tests.
All they are worry about is what game they’re going to play at recess tomorrow.
The youngsters don’t realize how good they have it.
When I was in middle school, the toughest homework was 20/20 reading.
Now we are in AP and honors classes, and I have a minimum of three hours of homework every night.
Twenty minutes of reading doesn’t sound so bad now, does it?
I’ll admit, middle school was terrible. Everyone was trying to figure out who their true friends were. “Going out” with someone meant you might smile at them in the halls, but never actually speak to them. People went around backstabbing their “friends” like it was their job.
However, high school comes with a lot of responsibilities that can all be summed up in one word: college.
We have to focus on our grades to try and get a 4.0 GPA. We need to participate in extracurricular activities because it looks good on a résumé. And most importantly, your ACT or SAT scores. Suddenly, what we do at school matters and will effect the rest of our lives.
I wish I could go back to the time when we were free from life’s real problems.
I wish I still had recess. And the coed soccer practices. The field trips to the zoo. Being in class with my best friend for five years in a row. Parties at Skate City. The annual Halloween parade. The star lab. The willow tree by the playground. The Justice Grove Picnic.
We all say we can’t wait to get out of here. But when we do, we’re going to miss walking down the 600 hallway — no matter how crowded it always is.
We will miss screaming in the gym at the top of our lungs trying to win the class competition.
We will miss seeing how ridiculous some people look for spirit week.
We will miss our special bonds with our clubs, teams and groups. Besides, there’s no other school that can win seven state titles in one year.
So let’s enjoy our time in high school. Even though walking down the freshman hallway can be stressful, we’re all going to miss it.