While I was ready to be catapulted out of the doors of my high school, all I heard was: "You're going to miss this when you leave" or "Just give it a year or so before you want to come back." My gut was certain I could never want to go back to that time, but another part of me was scared I would be stuck wandering aimlessly. I was having typical concerns about whether or not my life beyond high school would be everything I was expecting. As I now approach my third year of college, I can confidently confirm my gut feeling: I do not miss high school.
For some, high school is a wonderful time, and that's really important. That period of development is really confusing, so to have a smooth transition is a blessing. It wasn't that my high school experience was especially bad because I was pretty fortunate, but the environment was not always sufficient for what I needed. Going to high school in a smaller town can be a challenge because people watch you. People care about what you're doing if only to be nosy. It's nice when you have people genuinely looking out for your wellbeing, but a lot of my anxiety came from caring so much about others' perceptions of me.
The change in people is magnificent to see while transitioning out of high school. For some reason, high school is really passive aggressive (can someone explain this to me?), and interacting with consistent, intelligent human beings who show compassion toward others feels like being on a different planet. People communicate here. People have healthy dialogue here. Whoa. People you were worried about losing will fade out so easily you won't even remember what your relationship used to be. It can be sad, but it's a necessary filtering process (and it feels GOOD).
Also, I finally feel like a real person. People talk to me almost like I'm a contributing member of society now, and I've noticed that "You'll understand when you're older" thing is starting to fade out of conversations. Hooray for becoming a person! I fill out my taxes. I go grocery shopping. I have opinions about vacuum cleaners and Swiffer items. It's really a whirlwind of new possibilities at Target.
What I really don't miss is the public education system at the high school level. Communication is done via intimidation and authority rather than human connection and empathy. Education is a process of deposition and regurgitation rather than a learning experience. I relished in the opportunity to finally have two-way conversations between myself and brilliant minds. It's so much more fulfilling.
More power to the people who loved high school and want to be there forever. I'll have to pass.
