Oh, high school, how I hated you then and miss you now…sometimes. I had some great times in high school. I was a Varsity cheerleader all throughout and was the captain my senior year, but I had some hard times too. Here are a few things that high school taught me:

How to dodge big crowds in a timely manner.

If your experience was anything like mine, then you know how to maneuver around couples making out, people crowding around a fight, and simply just people walking like snails. Every time I was on crutches (which was quite a bit), I was still in class before the bell rang. Granted, after the first time, I was a master.

How to fit all necessities into one bag.

Let’s face it: there was no time to run to your locker and trade in your books for others —especially if it was on the other side of the school. Really lockers were just for practice clothes and equipment you needed later. Because of this, I now know how to pack a suitcase in a sufficient way.

How to deal with people you aren’t too fond of.

I’m not even going to try to say that I liked everyone in high school because I’d be lying. I can get along with almost everyone, but sometimes I just can’t stand people. When it came to classes, I was the one that sat quietly, did my work, talked every now again (obviously depending on who sat near me), and got so annoyed by those who just wouldn’t stop trying to get out of doing assignments. I know that’s a pretty generic thing for everyone, but I had to add it. Now, I understand how to tolerate people…even those I don’t like.

How to accept the fact that you can’t stay out of trouble all the time.

This one annoys me to the core. So, all through grade school I always managed to get out of silent lunch. In middle school, my friends started a food fight. Of course, our entire class got silent lunch…except me. I talked my way out of it. Pretty sure everyone hated me for it, but I had a record I had to maintain. Anyways, all throughout high school I managed to stay out trouble until my senior year. It was literally three months before graduation and I got caught in one of those “if you’re tardy, go to the cafeteria.“ Well, it was like my fifth time being tardy and my only time getting caught for it and I got detention. it made me so upset and incredibly mad. Thankfully, my coach was able to get it to be ISS….still hated it. I hated it so much.

How to multi-task.

Okay, now this one mainly comes from the help of lunch. In my school, there were multiple lunch lines, but a ton of people and only a 25-minute lunch period to eat and socialize. Pretty much every lunch (especially senior year) I had homework or projects to work on. Sure, most of my papers had food on it when it came to turning it in, but at least I got it done and for that I’m proud.

When teachers said, “You think you have it hard now, just wait until after you graduate.”

And boy, how right they were. Every teenager ignores it when teachers say this and everyone knows they say it many, many times. Of course, every teenager doesn’t believe it until after they graduate and experience life without high school. But, just because I didn’t believe it then, doesn’t mean I don’t find it to be true now. I think a lot of people can say the same.

Oh, high school, how I hated you then and miss you now…sometimes.