Tag: high school

How can I focus on anything but grades?

hubbabubba98

“Don’t focus so much on your grades.”

Teachers have said this over and over again since I started high school.

They constantly tell me to not focus on the end result, but to focus on the material, to develop an interest and study it out of enjoyment, not because I want to get a passing grade.

I don’t understand that at all. Why am I being told not to care so much about my grades or to not study only because I want a good grade, when in reality everything comes down to “intelligence” being perceived from a grade.

Photo Credit: http://rootsofaction.com

They say that the grade you get isn’t the important part, so why do we get grades at all?

For a teacher to tell me to calm down and relax and not concentrate or obsess so much over what my grade will be, is hands down the most frustrating thing a teacher can ever say.

Photo Credit: http://cdn.quotesgram.com/

It is simple, if teachers don’t want me to focus so much on the grade, then don’t “reward or punish” with a grade.

Outcast

hubbabubba98

Outcast – a person who has been rejected by society or a social group.

This may be the common definition and concept of what an outcast is,  however,  I don’t agree with it. I believe that there are many different forms of an outcast. I believe in some cases an outcast can be considered a drifter.

Photo Credit: https://drscdn.500px.org

A drifter is someone who isn’t necessarily an outcast, separated or rejected by society but someone who is distant. Doing their own thing, while being associated with the “in” crowd but is always just on the outside. It’s like being in a group of people but always having a thin piece of glass separating the individual from the group of people.

 

I wonder how the people in the “in” crowd feel?

Do they too consider themselves as popular or with the “in” crowd, or do they think of themselves as drifters?

New Ideas For Halloween

beetlejus

Every Halloween there seems to be a myriad of Wednesday Addams, Wes Anderson characters and cats. This year, why not try something different

Instead of being Wednesday Addams try Lydia Deetz from Beetlejuice.

Her costume is fairly easy.  You just need a black dress (you can even find this at a thrift store), a floppy black hat and black shoes.  Add some dark makeup and you’re done!

https://i0.wp.com/cms.myspacecdn.com/cms/x/13/44/103013-sgg-beetle-400x.jpg
credit to myspace.com

Rather than being a Wes Anderson character like Suzy and Sam from Moonrise Kingdom, try being a camper from Wet Hot American Summer.  These costumes are fun and easy.  All you need are 80’s teenager basics, and these are easily found at American Apparel.  This is a great group costume too.

https://i0.wp.com/static01.nyt.com/images/2015/07/19/arts/19WETHOT2/19WETHOT2-articleLarge.jpg
Credit to the New York Times

Then comes the infamous cat, the costume teenage girls tend to gravitate to every year.  Lets try to leave the cat in the past and go with some cute woodland creatures.  Foxes and deer are oh so cute and make awesome costumes.  You can wear a cute and comfy dress and put on some makeup and you’re ready!

https://ovsjournalists.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/82b6b-diy_animal_ears.jpg
credit to Brit and co

Homecoming

happyrose15
Photo Credit: reflector.uindy.edu

This past weekend many schools held their homecoming dances and games.

A time in the year when school show their spirit and during their dances the student body dresses up and post on Instagram how they got asked to this “magical” night, most likely to spark a flame of jealousy into their hundreds of followers.

Photo Credit: twitter.com

At OVS we don’t have homecoming, for a couple of reasons.

First, we don’t have
a football team making those ever so famous homecoming scenes, where the home team pulls through when their star player is injured and the water boy ends up making the game winning touch down – impossible for us to recreate.

Next, we are a school of less than 200 people so it makes little sense to have a dance where only twenty people who really want to be there.

Homecoming is a time when of the student body comes together as a community and shows their dedication to their school, but since OVS is already such a tight-knit community we don’t need a dance or a sports event to bring us together.

 

Applications? More like Agitation

hubbabubba98

Applications, applications, applications. For the past two years that word has been playing in my head like a broken record.

I don’t understand why the college process has to be so difficult. I understand that this is a serious decision that will impact my future immensely.

Photo Credit: http://www.charterpulse.files.wordpress.com

Everyone keeps saying that this process should be fun and exciting but all I have felt is frustration, confusion, stress and anxiety. To say the least, I am ready for this process to be over. I am ready to already know where I will be for the next four years of my life. I am ready to know what I want to major in – what I want to do with my life.

Another aspect of the college experience that I find extremely frustrating and anxiety producing is the SAT and ACT tests. I hate that our whole academic career can be summed up into a number from one, five-hour test that we took on a random Saturday morning.

Photo Credit: http://www.gocollege.com

What is the point of working so hard in school if that isn’t even going to count as much as a test score?

Time Out

kennyroo

People wonder why teenagers get sick so often, and I think I have found the answer.

We are constantly being run into the ground, overwhelmed with task after task.

I will use myself as an example. I go to school, do my homework, and go to volleyball. Everyday. No breaks in between.

You would think I would get used to it, and I do in some ways. But sometimes the lack of a break catches up to me.

Getting home at 10pm in need of a shower and a snack does not let the teen body get the rest that it needs to stay healthy.

At our age we are growing so much mentally and physically.

If we take the breaks that we need, we are scolded for being lazy or not trying hard enough – but if we do too much we are told that we need to “slow down”.

Confusing, right?

So much is asked of the high school or college student, and yet whenever I say that I can almost always hear an adult scoffing and making some snide remark about how “we have it so easy”.

And perhaps in a lot of ways we do.

I know that I don’t have to worry about paying the bills at the end of every month – and I am so grateful for that.

But I do have to worry about my grades, sports, getting into colleges, trying to maintain some kind of social life, and a lot of other factors that are major stressors.

So why is anyone surprised when 1/3 of the junior class gets a cold, or a fever?

Some of us get only three to five hours of sleep per night because of the work load that is put on us.

Everyone needs a break now and then, and when that break isn’t taken, the human body will find a way to take it.

Our systems are beaten to the ground. And while we may not have to same feats to overcome as some, we have our own.

https://i0.wp.com/static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2013/11/1/1383330388800/Boy-asleep-over-book-010.jpg
photo credit to: http://www.static.guim.co.uk

The Countdown to Summer

kennyroo

I’m ever so patiently waiting for long summer days, and even longer summer nights.

I would always rather be at the beach, but that urge is actually attainable during my favorite three months of the year.

The way the warm sand feels on the soles of my feet, the warm sun beating down on my shoulders, and the shock of the cool salty water brings me to a happy place like no other

There is no need to go to bed early for an upcoming class or even worry about homework.

These next few months are going to feel like a life time, but I know it’s worth the wait.

https://i0.wp.com/www.law.indiana.edu/lawlibrary/blawg/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/summertime-blues.jpg
Photo Credit to: http://www.law.indiana.edu

Tiny Wins

kennyrooLeave a comment

“The more your praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” – Oprah Winfrey

Yes, I just quoted Oprah.

But maybe, just maybe she has the right idea about this topic.

I like to call these daily praises and celebrations “tiny wins.”

These tiny wins can really be anything, but I think it is ever so important that we at least acknowledge them.

It could be, as big as passing your license test the first time, or as small as learning all the lyrics to that new song you love. But these happy moments in life must not be wasted.

Everyday may not be great, but there is something great in everyday.

I know it is so easy to talk about all the annoyances in your life – but when we’re old and grey are all of these minuscule inconveniences going to matter?

Looking back on my life on want to celebrate my tiny, and huge wins with an enormous grin on my face.

https://i0.wp.com/deliveringhappiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/98164466848335250_C4DOB4O4_c.jpg
Photo Credit to: http://deliveringhappiness.com/

We live in a generation where so much is shared; so let’s start sharing our wins instead of our losses.

Just a Practice Run?

kennyrooLeave a comment

That 89 percent that could have been a 90 percent is not going to matter to you in five years, believe it or not. I can’t even fathom how often the sentence “but it will look good for college apps,” is heard yearly on a high school campus. Are these four years what define us as humans? I sure hope that’s not the case because I’m so much more than a percentage.

High school is such a small portion of our lives when you really think about it. These four years are all that matter to you right now, but are they all that’s going to matter in ten? What about when our kids go to school? Will that B- you got in geometry matter then? We work so hard to be judged by our performance rather than our person.

What are schools teaching about being a good human? What about how to do our own taxes? Nope, sorry that’s not taught here. I can recite the Pythagorean theorem basically in my sleep, and tell you the difference between an acid and a base; but what about the values of honesty and kindness? Isn’t this all a practice run anyways? Aren’t we being trained for “The Real World”? I’ve only been told that exact statement once or a million times.

Kids these days are on anxiety medications for the amount of stress they’re put under. We run ourselves into the ground for what? To be judged some more? We are expected to put our education before personal health. It is not asked, but expected. We must do whatever it takes to succeed.

Photo from: http://lahaiseslair.com
Photo from: http://lahaiseslair.com

NHL-It’s a distant second

backinphillyLeave a comment

Well, as you guys remember, I was a pretty big fantasy football player during the NFL season. This season, I follow fantasy hockey. I’ve been playing with a few of my friends this season and I’ve really enjoyed making some trades (including some that shouldn’t have been made and now I’m just laughing to the bank with it :))

Anyway, I’ve always been a pretty big NHL fan. I am a New Jersey Devils fan, and my favorite player is probably Ilya Kovalchuk. To be honest, I don’t have a favorite player. I just love watching some good hockey.

I especially love this time of year, which is trade season. The trade deadline is on Wednesday and teams are making some last minute adjustments to their rosters in the hopes of pushing for the playoffs.

I just want to discuss the Jarome Iginla trade from last week real quick. Iginla was traded to the Pittsburg Penguins for a first round pick and two college prospects. I think the Flames win this trade given Jarome’s age. But, I want to direct everyone’s attention to one of the college prospects that the Pens sent to Calgary.

Read More »