Envisioning a Perfect High School | Teen Ink

Envisioning a Perfect High School

May 2, 2018
By bmadden BRONZE, Ashburn, Virginia
bmadden BRONZE, Ashburn, Virginia
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

How can we envision a perfect high school when we are far from perfect?  When things will never be perfect?  Nowadays, high schools no longer care about the friends you make or electives you take.  High schools see their students as one thing, a number.  We are all a walking statistic moving around crowded halls.  Labelled as below average, “college-worthy”, “full ride athlete”, well-rounded, prom queen, and teacher’s pet.  We are no longer defined by our character and effort, but by our grades and extracurriculars.  A 4.0 GPA is no longer good enough, and two AP classes won’t suffice.  Waitlist is a word associated with shame and failure.  Knowledge is no longer valued, just a student’s ability to memorize information long enough to pass the test.  Sleep is not achievable.  How can one play sports, get good grades, join clubs, get a job, and get at least eight hours of sleep every day?  Students now look to coffee and adderall to get through the day.  When will this end?  How many suicides will it take for people to notice and understand that stress is no longer bearable?  Perfection is unachievable, yet students are still striving towards it.


The author's comments:

I hope people will understand that the issues going on in high school shouldn’t be ignored.  Everybody is going through something, and we are groomed to repress our emotions, become like robots, and get the perfect grades to get into the perfect college.  I hope everybody is inspired by this piece and uses it as fuel to create change within their own high schools.


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