High school was either one of the best times for people or the worst. For me, it was one of the best. I was reflecting on my time in high school some time ago, and while it's debatable as to how much course material I absorbed, I definitely learned a lot of "life lessons" during my four years there. The ones listed below are only some.
Freshman Year:
1. There is always a way to make learning fun, you just have to find it.
Being in class and studying doesn't always have to be excruciatingly dull and boring. In class there was always group activities or projects to reinforce what was being taught, but outside of the classroom you can turn it into a game or relate what you're learning to something you already know about or what you enjoy doing.
Sophomore Year:
1. Always be ready to defend what you believe in.
Having attended a private Christian high school, one of the things that was drilled in our heads from the very beginning to the very end was that we need to always be ready to defend what we believe in. I think that that is definitely true not only for religious beliefs, but for other things as well. There are plenty of things that a person can believe in or stand for that can be debated –– abortion, for example –– and one should should always be prepared.
2. Go into a conversation being knowledgeable about both sides.
This kind of goes hand in hand with what was said above. Though it's virtually impossible to know everything about anything, it's possible to give yourself a foundation of what's out there in the world. If you know you're going to get into some kind of discussion where there are two potential sides, educate yourself on the opposite.
3. Don't give into peer pressure.
We hear it all the time. We always say that it'll never happen. But it does, and it did. And although the situation I was put in wasn't anything bad (i.e. drugs, alcohol, or other bad things high schoolers shouldn't get involved in), it was still something that put a lot of stress on me. I was being pressured by my peers and by my teachers, and it bothered me a lot. In the end I didn't give in, and it was probably for the best. Regardless, if you feel like someone is pressuring you and you know or feel that it could harm you in any way, go the other way and do what is best for you.
Junior Year:
1. Give everyone a second chance.
For me, first impressions are crucial. In the past, if I didn't like you based off my first impression of you, that was it. I wouldn't want to associate with you. If you were on my good side and crossed me somehow, I would cut you off. But in high school, and even during my first semester of college, I learned that it's important to give everyone a chance to redeem themselves. They might not be as bad as you think. People are also apt to make unintentional mistakes; if they really didn't mean it, it'll show when you give them the chance.
2. Have integrity and own up to your mistakes.
This one is probably the most important one on the list. Having integrity and owning up to your mistakes shows that you're a very trustworthy person. It shows that you can do whatever needs to be done honorably, without any loose ends.
Senior Year:
1. It's OK to not be OK, and it's OK to cry.
When I remember when I was very young, I would occasionally see my friends cry during school. I always thought it was an embarrassing thing to do, and I made a promise to myself that I would never do that. On top of that, I always bottled my emotions until I exploded. It wasn't until my senior year of high school that I started to actually notice the repercussions of that bad habit. I also broke my promise: I cried in school. And I cried a lot. On the flip-side, however, I got a lot of help and reassurance from my friends saying that everything I was feeling and doing was OK, and they stuck by me through all of it. My public break-downs helped build me up in a lot of ways, and it helped me see that it was OK to show what I was feeling.
2. Get involved with things early!
When most people leave high school, one of the things they say is that they regret not getting involved with extra-curricular activities early on. While this isn't a regret I have, I know now that getting an early jump on things can help with a lot. It can introduce you to new people, it can give you experience with things you like or are interested in, and it can help you discover things about yourself that you never knew.
3. You learn something from everyone you come across in life, it just may not be apparent right away.
Whether it's a bad teacher, an annoying peer or coworker, or your best friends and family, everyone you come across in life has a lesson to teach. The lesson can be an easy one or hard one, and they're sometimes not always noticeable right away. Regardless, everyone comes into your life for a reason, and over time you'll figure out why they were in the first place.
