School Days. They are wasted on the young.
School.
It’s like growing old.
When you are young and in school you don’t want to be there.
When you are old and out of school — you want to go back. Or at least appreciate so much about it.
Linking up with Stasha and Monday Listicles on this Labor Day. Her list this week is the School Edition ~ whatever that means to you.
A Note to the Younger Generation about School.
10. As much as you think school is about fashion, lip gloss, cute boys and having the right locker in the cool area, it’s not.
9. I wish someone would make me read 30 minutes each night before bed.
8. It is not cute to cheat. Even if you can look onto the smartest girl’s paper for your Chemistry quiz. Take time to learn it when it’s being presented. Once again, it’s not about cute boys.
7. Stretch yourself. Take hard classes, pay attention in class, work hard at home. Once again. Don’t worry about matching your belt and shoes.
6. Waking up at 7 to get to first period by 8:05 is not really that hard. You think it’s hard. Try waking up at 4. Exercising, finding a quiet moment for yourself, getting the kids up and to school, then driving an hour to work in traffic knowing your boss is expecting a proposal on her desk before 11. A proposal that is a very shaky first draft as you drive into work with a gut ache.
5. Make great friendships. Believe me, life’s hardships and those damnable Chemistry pop quizzes are much more bearable with friends to laugh with. That’s why social networking is such the phenom. We need to connect and encourage each other. You get the privilege of doing it in the flesh everyday.
4. Free to be you and me. There is much less stigma today. Or at least far fewer stereotypes. Take advantage of it. Back in my school days: The girls who played sports were stereotyped as jocks. Boys had to play football. Making the status of cheerleader was equivalent to winning your school’s seat in the Oval Office. Band was frowned upon. Certainly no one played tuba, excelled at linebacker and was president of the HighQ team — at least no girl back then.
3. You really don’t have to drink or have sex to fit in. Trust me. There are diseases, accidents and overindulging in those behaviors will wear your looks and body out faster than a whoopie cushion at a five-year-old birthday party. And no matter what a blessing a child is…you don’t need that responsibility while you are still one yourself.
2. You are still young. Enjoy it. Don’t be in such a rush to wear padded bras, dental floss underwear and sexy clothes. And that’s not only the boys.
1. Okay. In someways it is about the lip gloss and cute boys. But lip gloss and cute boys will always be there. The chance to get your mind and education on the right track….that’s so much harder later in life as other responsibilities skyrocket. Do it now.
What advice do you have for kids in school now?
Great list. I wish someone had told me all that back when I was in high school! I wish my kids would listen when I tell them all those things.
This is such a great list! I wish we had this perspective back in the day. I do think there is less teasing now. My son, who wears glasses, never gets teased and I remember that being an issue for those who wore glasses when I was young. At least that’s better! But it seems the bullying at the HS level is alive and well. Great advice to find those “true” friends.
I agree with several of your thoughts! Especially stretching yourself and not succumbing to peer pressure.
I love, love this list! #9 – I wish someone would make me/allow me to read for 30 minutes at night, uninterrupted. Is it sad that that sounds like such a dream to me?
I love this list Jamie! It would be fabulous if those high school girls would heed that warning a bit, and just enjoy time as a kid for a bit longer.
This is so great!!! I think I might share these with my students.
Great list! Even though I have to admit that making some mistakes back then was fun, and so we didn’t have to make them when we were older! =)
That’s such a good point, Anja. We all made our mistakes. It’s just hard to see our children and others walking down the same path. Especially with education. I know I took my school experience for granted and way to lightly. But we all made it somehow.
This is so very great! O wish I applied myself more at the subjects I did not like instead of spending all my study time enjoying reading about things that came easy to me anyway. Lipgloss is so 2010 anyway 😉
My husband had the exact opposite reaction to his first time at IKEA. He definitely had the sensory overload, but instead of piling it all into carts and hauling it all home, he ran kicking and screaming out the door. I was lucky to make it out of there with the dressers I came for. We definitely didn’t get to indulge in the free lunch. Oh well, maybe next time will be better?
uh… not sure how my comment ended up on this post. Should be on the IKEA one. lol! sorry!!!
At least your husband realized his limitations. Now we still are surrounded by boxes and my husband is not very happy. We have about finished a loft bunk bed for my youngest room. Yay.