Like many of you, my summer break has just started and I could not be more thankful. I’ve got to admit though, my sophomore year was a lot more enjoyable than my freshman year so I am a little sad that it’s over. To me, freshman year is more about learning your way around the school and discovering where you belong, whereas sophomore year is about surrounding yourself with a good group of friends and establishing healthy work habits. So, since sophomore year was such a great year for me, I thought that I would share some of the takeaways that I had.
Procrastination Gets Old
Up until this school year, I couldn’t tell you if there was one assignment that I hadn’t procrastinated on. However, my summer work before sophomore year changed that. Looking back, it wasn’t as hard as I made it out to be. I had to read a book and write an essay for Honors English, do a few worksheets for Honors World History and read a book, answer questions and do a few online assignments for Honors Biology. All of that is work that I could have easily handled in three months, but instead, I decided to push it to the end of summer. This resulted in myself scrambling the day before the first day of school. I was up until 3 a.m. that night, which resulted in a panic attack that morning as I debated whether or not I would go to school.
Eventually, I went to school and got through my day just fine. That morning hit a nerve though, and since then I have changed my habits. I do my homework as efficiently as I can, while still taking breaks in between, and I spend time planning and executing my essays. Because I am getting closer and closer to going to college, separating myself from procrastination was the best decision I could make. It has caused me so much unnecessary stress and anxiety that I was tired of putting on myself.
Ignoring Boys Is Not Always Effective
As some of you may know from reading my previous articles, I haven’t had the best luck with boys this year. In fact, for about four months there was a boy and his group of friends who seemed to make it their job to make me as uncomfortable as possible. They would screenshot my Instagram posts and look at them in the morning, glance at me in the cafeteria and make noises when I walked near them. With that situation, I took the route that I normally take when presented with any type of drama: I ignored it. I blocked them on social media and stay back for a minute so I didn’t have to walk near them in the halls. All of this, I thought, would cause them to realize that I was not bothered by their actions. But did they let it go after that? No.
Basically, I think that what my sophomore year taught me about high school boys is that I shouldn’t get involved with them. Personally, I would rather be the senior who has never been on a date than the senior who gets caught up with all of the wrong guys. So I’ll give you this piece of advice, don’t involve yourself with high school boys unless you magically find someone who is mature.
Gym is the Best Place to Make New Friends
In order to end this article on a positive note, let’s talk about the awesome friends I made thanks to gym class. Now, you may be wondering why gym of all classes would be the one where I have made most of my friends, but I think I have found the reason. There seems to be a mutual distaste for gym as soon as you enter the room, like nobody wants to be there. That dread to engage in physical activity is what, surprisingly, seems to be the bonding point.
Making friends in any other class may be difficult due to the limited amount of free time that you get. Gym, however, is mainly games and group activities which give you plenty of time to interact with your peers. From experience, I know that making friends is hard, especially in high school. But if you find a simple common ground, that process can be ten times easier.
Although sophomore year hasn’t been completely smiles and laughter, I’ve learned a lot. I have been stressed and exhausted more times than I would like to admit, but in today’s school system that is normal. School is exhausting and stressful and puts a lot of pressure on us as students. But, if you really go for it and take the opportunities that are thrown your way, you could get closer to achieving your goals. If I had not taken ten minutes out of my day to apply as a writer for Affinity Magazine, I would not be as excited for my future as I currently am. So take a leap; your life may change forever.
