How Can I Have a Good School Year?
Stay home every day.
No, seriously. If you are going to get up every morning and
complain about how much you hate school and your teachers and every other
person in the place, everyone would benefit if you would just stay
home. (Well, everyone except the overall
U.S. economy, which really doesn’t need any more French fry distributors.) Let’s just say that the school environment
would be better off without your negativity, and most of us won’t be around to
share your regrets with you later.
In all honesty, school is a
difficult environment for everybody involved.
Everyone here is changing their life to fit into society’s idea of how
school is supposed to work. Most studies
show that teenagers aren’t really capable of thinking clearly until at least
10:00 in the morning. (Most teachers
would admit that they aren’t thinking so clearly either.) We all know that it’s counterproductive to
sit inside all day, with fluorescent lighting and processed air. No reasonable person would imagine that
forcing 2000 people who have widely variable economic circumstances, personal
standards, and belief systems into a building together for 8 hours a day is a
sensible thing. It’s like a crucible for
creating tension, aggravation, and explosive outbursts.
But that is no excuse. The reality is that we are here, and we each
have a job to do. Given that, let’s see
how we can make the very best of it. For
me, it seems that we benefit most by setting high standards.
Expect a lot of yourself. Every great social movement or accomplishment
begins with one person who is willing to set a higher standard for his- or herself
than is expected by society at large.
Begin by determining that you are going to do your level best on a daily
basis. In every class, activity, and
extracurricular, be the person who is going to set the pace. Every class would be better if each student
was determined to be the best in the class.
Every class would be better if each teacher decided to be the best
teacher in the building. Imagine how
awesome the school would be if every teacher were teaching at full capacity
because every student was totally committed to learning as much as possible. Imagine your sports teams if every player and
coach was pouring their heart and soul into every minute of every practice and
game.
Expect a lot of your friends. Most of us start off with noble ideas of
doing great things, but we often associate ourselves with people who bring us
down. Decide to push your friends into
being the best they can be instead of allowing them to pull you into foolish
actions that will diminish you. Most of
us get into trouble at some point or another because we take the path of least
resistance, trying to be “cool” or fit in with a particular group. What if every group was totally committed to
making every one of its members the very best person they could possibly be?
Expect a lot of your school. Until you graduate, this is your
community. It is only as good as you make
it. If people run the school down, or
the teachers, administrators, or students down, it still eventually comes back
to you. There is no credit in being the
“best of a bad lot,” but there is true nobility in making everything in your
environment better. Demand that your
friends and fellow students achieve at their highest level and behave at their
very best. Demand that your teachers
give you the best education possible.
Demand that your administrators deliver a school that is positive, safe,
and productive. Most importantly, demand
of yourself that you reach the end of this school year a better, smarter, more
productive person than the one who began it.
That is something you will never regret.