Picture this: a young girl taller than her peers as she experienced a growth spurt before all the rest with a thick novel shoved in her arms, too-small black framed glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose, and awkward bangs hanging over her brow. This was me for most of my life. I was that girl you passed in the hallway who read as she walked from class to class and never managed to bump or trip over others. In class, if I were to complete my work quickly and efficiently I would allow myself a literary reward and read a paragraph from my current read. I trained myself to read on my rickety yellow school bus home where children belted out shrill screams and the bounce of the tires left me nauseated. After a while, I was a pro and no longer experienced motion sickness from reading on board. I miss that girl. The girl who had time to scour through the bookshelves of the local library and Barnes and Noble and acquire a handful of novels at a time. I was that girl until I hit high school.
My high school experience consisted of four years running on an eight-period schedule with alternating even and odd days. As a result, my free time quickly diminished until it was completely eliminated. Each class required more time than I had, but I remained motivated and positive despite my draining supply of energy and brain power. Each year progressed in this fashion. It was not uncommon to see me dragging my legs through the front door of my house and instantly plopping on the couch in exhaustion. Even my older sister, Kayla, would comment at the frequency of my naps after school. When naps ensued I would often wake and find myself in a pile of homework with no way to get out of.
Don’t get me wrong, I am a strong believer in the power and privilege of education. I value my education. However, if I am being generous only about 75% of my high school education satisfied my drive for knowledge or challenged me with new concepts. Many classes were ones that did not particularly interest me but I knew would strengthen my GPA and profile. Other classes consisted of wasted hours spent doing nothing productive where I often felt drowsy and lousy from just sitting around.
If I were feeling particularly dramatic I would say high school sucked the life out of me. Yes, there were moments spent laughing and enjoying a lecture from my favorite teacher but these past four years have also left me unable to pursue my favorite past times and hobbies. Reading and writing were put on the back-burner and my studies stole all of my time and left no room for anything else.
I think sometimes we need personal time without worrying about the ridiculous amount of assignments, tests, and projects due for each course.
My education itself was not a sacrifice but it did prompt me to sacrifice some of the best aspects of my life.
My advice is to try to set aside a certain amount of time to do things you really want to do. As my senior year slows down, I am reading more, writing more, and pursuing photography with a stronger vigor.
Follow your passions, I regret forcing myself to solely focus on my studies and neglecting my personal interests. Everyone needs a break sometimes.
