By Amanda Tennant, staff writer
Most students will spend their time in one high school, slowly climbing up the academic ranks from underclassmen to upperclassmen, until they finally leave four years later with a diploma in their hands and a sense of accomplishment in their being.
I am no different. I started at Indian Trail as a freshman, have worked my way up the seniority pyramid, did bad in classes and excelled in others, lost old friends and gained new ones, and now it is the beginning of the end for my time here at this school.
Nevertheless, as I prepare for my last year in high school, I look around at all the new heads that crowd the hallways and I recognize that for many students, this September marks the beginning of their high school journey at Indian Trail. By seeing all these new eager faces, it reminds me of when I was a freshman and how I wish I could tell myself all of the things that I know now and implement them in my years following.
Therefore, this article is dedicated to you, Indian Trail underclassmen, as I leave you with advice I wish I would’ve known as a freshman.
Don’t become a procrastinator. Procrastination is a deep, dark hole that sucks you in entirely and won’t let you go no matter how hard you struggle. I believe that my life would have been at least 10 times less stressful if I had spaced my schoolwork out instead of waiting until the last minute to start something. Procrastination doesn’t help anything or anyone, and it will not help you. So, be diligent and build good study habits early on.
Take all of your classes seriously and try your absolute best in every single one of them, even if you don’t get the result that you want from them. The primary reason why you are here is to learn. Yes, school is also important for making friends and for doing activities, but the reason why the government creates these strange facilities called schools and invests millions of dollars for you to attend them is because it is better for not only this country, but for the entire world for you and your classmates to be educated because with education, the cure for cancer can be found, the next great art piece can be created, new types of technologies can be designed, iconic music can be played, the next great book saga can be written, etc. You have been given a privilege that millions of people will never have and you should never forget how lucky you are because of it.
But I come from a family that urges for me to do well in school. Therefore, I have the support I need in my pursuit of education. Everyone who is reading this article right now might not have the same support as I do. They might not have a positive environment to live in, not be encouraged to do well in school or not have as much time as their classmates for schoolwork due to a job that they work to help support their family. It may just be that someone reading this right now may have a hard time understanding certain subjects.
If you are one of those listed above, please listen. Don’t give up on school. With education comes an abundance of opportunities. All you have to do is try. Don’t be afraid to explain the situation to your teachers and ask for help. They will help you as long as you reach out. As long as you try, no matter what the result is, at least you can look back and say that you did everything in your power to do well, and that, that drive to succeed, is something to take pride in.
High school is just one part of your life. When you are a freshman, the four years ahead seem like an eternity, but the years pass you by in a blink of an eye. Don’t let things bring you down. If bad phases happen, just know that they are only temporary. Whatever misfortune you have in the moment is feeble and meek compared to the vast and promising future in front of you. Your future is just waiting to be lived and accomplished by you only. And that is brighter than any bad day ever could be. If you are feeling down about something, look towards your future, because no matter how strange or messed up it may seem to be, somehow everything will work out in the end and it will work out for the better.
Finally, be kind to everyone. Everyone that you meet in life is just trying to be happy and do the best they can in life. This includes your teachers, your friends, your classmates, and so on. Putting someone down or causing unnecessary drama isn’t helping anything or anyone. It is just making your school, your workplace, and your community a less pleasant place to live in.
You can control how you treat other people, so why treat other people badly? Why contribute to the negativity in the world? Just be respectful to everyone you meet. If you don’t want to be respectful to other people for their sake and for the sake of the world, do it for your own, because you will find that with less drama comes less stress.
To my fellow underclassman, don’t be afraid of your time here at Indian Trail. By the time you graduate, you are not going to be the same person as you were when you first entered through these doors, but don’t shun that change. Your time here at Indian Trail is just part of your growth as a person and this growth will help you discover who you truly are.
As Osiris once said, “You’re not the same individual you were a year ago, a month ago, or a week ago. You’re always growing. Experiences don’t stop. That’s life.”