High school made me feel like I was treading water in an endless pool I couldn’t get out of. Looking back, I was probably depressed and I definitely had hormone problems that were outside the norm. Most of my time was spent in my room reading or on the computer, because both of those options offered a reprieve from pressure and expectations I was convinced I couldn’t meet.
These are just some of the things I wish I had known in high school.
1. Math is not impossible.
When I was in high school, I was convinced math was impossible. I would stare blankly at the board, not understanding what my teacher was talking about. Math did NOT click for me, and it really gave my self-esteem a hard hit when it came to academics. I was always the “smart kid” in elementary school, and high school math made me feel the opposite.
It’s kind of ironic, considering I taught middle/high school math for a while. Imagine my shock when an Algebra II student came to me for help, and I knew exactly how to explain the concept. When did that happen!?
It may not make sense right away, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn. It may just take you a little longer.
2. Just study. A little. It will help.
Now in my defense, I had no clue how to study. No one ever taught me how to study so when test time rolled around, I had no idea what I should do to prepare myself – especially for math tests. I swear, most math tests, I just got lucky. I should have just hit the books a little harder.
I didn’t start learning study techniques and the different ways people learn until I got to college. My favorite technique for everything but math was to write my notes, record myself reading them, and then play that recording on repeat for a day or two before the test.
3. Just try a little harder.
I definitely didn’t try as much as I should have in high school. Sure, I passed, and sure, I graduated, but I couldn’t have cared less when it came to school outside of band. Looking back, I wish I had actually tried. I definitely would have had better grades.
4. Some of that teenage angst might be something more
I felt depressed and angsty 24/7 as a teenager. Seriously, I was THE stereotypical moody teenager. That actually lasted until a doctor put me on birth control in college. There was a medical thing going on that was causing my hormones to be out of whack, which made my angst (and PMS) so much worse than normal. Once my hormones were more on track, I felt like a completely different person. I am fully convinced that if my problem had been diagnosed earlier, my teenage years would have been less painful for everyone (sorry, Mom).
5. Make more time for friends.
This one is huge. Again, I was fairly anti-social as a teenager. I regret that now, but I have always been an introvert and school felt so overwhelming for me that I couldn’t wait to be alone. Looking back, I wish I had made more time for my friends and put forth more of an effort to see them during high school. Now that we have graduated, I hardly ever see them anymore.
6. It’s okay to skip out on the hardest classes and take easier ones.
My graduating class in high school was the first from my school to do International Baccalaureate. I didn’t really want to do it, but all of my friends were and I felt pressured. I had a reputation for being one of the smart kids, so I felt like it was something I had to do. As a kid who was already perpetually unhappy, I didn’t handle the pressure very well. I would have been better off taking AP classes instead.
7. It’s okay to go to a community college first!
When I was still in high school, I felt all this pressure to go straight to a 4-year university as soon as I graduated. A community college was not an option in my mind.
I have no clue where all this pressure came from, but I was positive everyone would be disappointed in me if I decided to go to community college first and finish my bachelor’s at a 4-year school later. Now, I wish I had gone that route instead. It would have been so much cheaper, and I still would have received a quality education.
8. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t do something meaningful to you.
This actually dates all the way back to when I was in third grade.
My librarians and teachers, starting in third grade, made me write a career paper.
Every.
Single.
Year.
Story Time!
In third grade, I wanted to be a writer. I was informed that was incredibly unlikely and I needed to write about being something else, like an English teacher – something I could actually accomplish.
Having teachers in elementary school tell me something like that crushed me, and it didn’t get much better in high school. By the time I got to college, I bounced from major to major because I felt like being an English major was a waste of time. It took me a long time to realize I was letting someone else decide my life for me (You can read more about my decision to major in English here). Don’t give up on your dream just because someone else tells you it won’t happen.
9. Parents aren’t evil.
Oh, I sure thought my mom was evil. When I was in middle school and high school, I was convinced she was out to make me miserable. I obviously realize now that she was not out to get me but at the time, it sure felt like it. I realized that very quickly once I left for college.
10. Join some clubs and get involved.
I did a few “clubs” in high school but I never actually got involved with them and did things. For me, this probably goes back to the whole anti-social, depressed teenager thing. Clubs would have been fun. I did band and I loved it, but I wish I had gotten more involved in the various clubs we had.
What would you say?
If you could go back in time and talk to yourself at any point in your life, what age would you visit and what would you say?