Everything about high school is a learning expirience

Half way through the most important years of my education.

Sophomore year is over; an upperclassman on June 17th (officially).

Sure.
We juniors now hold the off campus passes and probably all drive and obtain numerous other privileges that anyone graduating after 2010 does not yet have.
But really, all of these are simply more responsibilities.
More chances to prove why we've earned it and what we're worth. But more importantly, the opportunities that await are there to test how we live and what we stand for.

And how do we live our life?
How do we spend our time? How do we manage or responsibilities? How do our actions reflect who we really are?


This year was incredibly fun. I enjoyed most of it.
However, I began to recognize how awful my work habits are, and to seriously evaluate what I was doing.
Working too slow.
Allowing distractions.
Procrastinating.
Not organizing my priorities.
Making wrong decisions.

The working combination of these fatal habits, along with a strong self-absorption eventually caught up to slap my carefree, relaxed, and lazy self's face.
Hard.


I have never truly stopped to think out and analyze the possible options in my high school career. Never thoroughly. I have always had a set, expected plan that I never thought could be altered. Always just challenging enough to keep me in some more advanced classes, while taking it easy on those subjects that I had a harder time with. I never thought about what it would be like to have a 4.0 or higher, or what opportunities would be available should I complete extracurricular activities, or how easily it could all be attained.
It really shouldn't be that hard.
Of course there are certain classes that are a struggle, and teachers that are tough to work with. But ultimately, anything is really possible. If there's a certain grade you need, there are ways of organizing your time and priorities to reach that desired level. And if a teacher ids difficult, you can find other options to help you understand.
It all depends on motivation and management.
It may be hard to focus or grasp a concept, but with school, there are plenty of ways to make sure you get the score you want.

There are also many ways to completely goof off and let your grades slip so that you are caught unaware at the end, searching for a way to raise them when all the while, it's plain to see how it all could be prevented.

If I could go back, I would take better care of myself: made sure my homework was done immediately; organized the sections that had not been clear so that I could have straightened out the concepts with my teachers; imposed a time limit before forcing myself to get some sleep; focused better; thought ahead; disregarded and prevented distractions; worked for what I wanted,
what I needed.

The outcome of my schedule for next year is so up in the air, I'm regretting a lot of what I did this year. I'm hoping it all isn't as bad as I'm expecting.
But for now, there's a chance I may not be needing that summer reading list after all.





Supposedly it takes about 30 days to form a a habit.
Next year will be the most difficult year in high school, and the major testing ad colleges will be most dependent on those grades.
If I keep the study habits I possess now, I'll be going to Moorpark for 4 years.

I will break this habit. And start a healthier, wiser, more responsible lifestyle for the remainder of my high school years.

All in all, that is what being an upperclassman is.
With these added responsibilities, we're being trusted to act wisely as the adults we're growing up and learning to be.

The hard work is worth it all in the end. Anything short of a good effort produces nothing valuable.