Whether you've already graduated high school, or you're an incoming freshman, chances are you've noticed some weird things. From rules to cliques, here's a list of things we didn't question then but realized how dumb they were after graduation.
Literally waking up at 6 AM to make it on time
WHY did school start SO early?? My high school started the day at 8:15, and you had to be in a class by 8:24. (Can we also mention how weird times are for class periods?) Not only that but then teachers complain about you falling asleep in class. I mean come on, to get enough sleep for the day, you'd have to go to bed at 6 pm- which would be possible if we weren't in 17 extracurriculars AND had 7 class periods of homework to do. And that's if you never showered, ate, or socialized.
Having to ask to go to the bathroom
I get it, some students were sketchy and spent their time in the bathroom vaping or something. But imagine asking if you can go pee, and then getting told no! Or even worse, the "Why are you taking your bag??" interrogation. As if your actual body functions are less important than 5 minutes of your geometry lesson.
Having about 5.3 seconds in between class periods
To add to the bathroom monstrosity, teachers often said, "Take care of your business between class periods." OK, Deborah, but by the time I speed-walk from the 3rd story of one building across campus and down seven hallways, I'm way out of breath, annoyed from pushing through people. I've only got a minute left before your class starts, which you would also count me late for if I walked in after the bell rang.
Dress code
This one is especially true for the ladies, as you all know too well. (I've also seen a few guys get "dress coded" so this one still applies to you). I understand you want us to dress appropriately, but don't tell us it's because "it's distracting." That implies that everyone else's education is more important than mine (since you brought me out of class to send me to the principal's office), not to mention the fact that you're over sexualizing your students. OH NO, NOT THE SHOULDERS! PUT THEM AWAY!!
Banning outside food/drinks
OK, storytime. This one may not be true for every school, but it was for mine. My high school is literally within walking distance of Chick-Fil-A. Now, CFA is a massive supporter of our school, and yet, we couldn't even have their food (that WE paid for) in the building. One morning during finals week, AKA the week where you'd kill someone for a coffee, I decided to get a biscuit and a sweet tea because I'm from the south and needed caffeine. I had to take my test in the gym, so I figured I'd just cut through a hallway. Big mistake...the hallway I blindly walked through ended up being the one where our strictest teacher resided. If you broke dress code by an inch or even SMELLED Chick-Fil-A on you, she'd interrogate you and make you go to the office. So, of course, she walks out of her classroom as soon as I walk by her door. With the biggest, "Oh, you're SO busted" grin on her face, she says, "Oh, I see you have Chick-Fil-A! I have a lovely sink and trash can right in my classroom where you can pour it out and throw it away!" and then proceeds to USHER me into her classroom literally. I had no choice but to throw away my (probably about $2) sweet tea still full. I still have vengeance, and I never walked down that hall again.
Paying for a parking spot. . .only to have someone else take it every day
This one also might be unique to my school, but I'm sure one of you has dealt with it. You'd pay about $40 for a parking pass for the year at the beginning of the year. Now, if you were on "Dream Team," AKA made high grades and didn't miss a lot of schools, you got to park in the lot closest to the entrance. Senior year, I had the BEST spot in the lot. It was on end, and it was in a position where no one parked in front of me. I could easily pull straight through when I got ready to leave. How often did I get to park here? About 80% of the time. I paid $40 for a perfect parking spot, only to get there when I've had a rough morning and find it taken. And honestly, it wasn't even another student- it was a parent who has their OWN lot at the FRONT of the school! The front office's response? "Oh, just park in the handicapped space, we'll try and get it taken care of." *Rolls eyes.*
"Healthy" food that's actually just gross
This one is just a public school standard. In high school, we got the "luxury" of vending machines, which were new to us freshmen. Upon closer inspection, they were all full of the whole grain, sugar-free stuff. Tell me, why would I spend $1.25 on something that tastes like cardboard, when I could just as quickly bring a lunchbox full of snacks from home? I can honestly say that I never ONCE ate at the school cafeteria. It probably wasn't as bad as it looked, but you have to admit, it was pretty weird to have milk with spaghetti before noon.
Being so stressed about your GPA or a boatload of homework that you just start crying
Everyone's been there. Whether it's finals week, your GPA dropped, or you're drowning in homework, it's the actual worst. From someone in 5 clubs, a leadership position in 3 of them, played tennis, and was HEAVILY involved in band, trust me. Having practice until 6:15 (but leaving early around 5:30 for a tennis match), playing until 9, doing homework, showering, eating, then getting up at 7:30 the next day to run a club meeting, it takes a toll on you. My sophomore and junior year were the worst. I got depressed, had no energy, I was anxious all the time, and I felt alone. I always had a 3-page long To-Do list, and I felt like I never had time to have fun. My anatomy class that year became a therapy session- partly because my teacher was very understanding and sweet, but also because we were all tired band kids that dealt with the same problems. But hey, if you're reading this and still in high school: your GPA does not define you. It may seem overwhelming but organize your thoughts and take a deep breath. You've got this!
Hopefully you didn't have to deal with all of these things in high school, but if you did, you probably have a lot of patience now. College honestly feels like a breath of fresh air. Good luck out there!
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