So far, my Sophomore year has been rough. It is a huge step up from Freshman year, and with this step comes lots and lots of homework. Sometimes the only way I can stay afloat is by telling myself that an easier week is coming. Except it hasn’t. I’ve been telling myself this since the beginning of the year, and I don’t think I’ve had an easy week the entire first quarter. I feel overstimulated and overwhelmed 24/7, and my mind never gets a break. I know that FWCD is a college prep school, and I know that the classes here are very demanding, but the students hear all the time about how high school is supposed to be the best years of our lives. But how can they be the best years when we’re spending all of our free time doing school work and studying? We need a break. So here is my rant and rave about the worst and best things about being a high schooler.
Rant:
First of all, believe me when I say that the “sophomore slump” is real. It’s too real. And it has hit me way too fast. I’m not very motivated to get all of my work done, and it’s causing me to over stress about simple things. Lately, I have felt like I have absolutely no free time, even on the weekends. I am doing school work 24/7, and I don’t get a break. I wake up, go to school, go to my classes, go to sports, get home, eat dinner and shower, start my homework, go to bed. Over and over and over again; it feels like a never-ending cycle. On the weekends I tend to sleep in on Saturday to try to gain back the sleep I lost during the week. Then I spend the rest of the day slowly trying to get through my homework. I repeat this routine on Sunday. Sometimes I will hang out with friends, but it also causes me more stress because it means I have to put off my homework even more.
During the week I struggle to get enough sleep to stay awake in all of my classes. My goal is to go to bed no later than 11:00, but that doesn’t always happen. Even if I do end up going to bed at 10:00 or 10:30, I am exhausted during the day and so overstimulated that it’s hard to function. I am a person who values my sleep enormously. It has always been one of my favorite things to do, and I have never been a morning person. But lately, I haven’t been able to enjoy much sleep because of my going to bed late, and then waking up at 6:30 or 6:45 due to my brother wanting to get to school early. What a nerd. I’m just so exhausted from having to force myself to stay awake and also be social and studious all at the same time. I’m just so exhausted of being tired.
Next up is the homework load. I know teachers hear kids complain about this all the time, but I think it seriously needs to be addressed. This year I am taking two honors classes. Even though one of them does not give a lot of homework, it requires a lot of extra studying on my own time. As students, we hear all the time about how we should get homework done the day it is assigned. Last year, that was very doable because I wasn’t getting boatloads of homework each night. But this year the only way I can do my homework the day it is assigned is if I don’t go to bed. And like I said earlier, I can’t do that. My love and need for sleep are much stronger than my desperation to get all of my homework done. Because I can’t get all of my homework done the night it is assigned, I get behind and have to catch up on the weekends. However, that causes me to use all of my time on the weekends getting my homework done, and it leaves no time for myself.
Another thing that we kids are told all the time is that these are supposed to be the best years of our lives. However, how are we supposed to be having a grand ol’ time when everything revolves around school? I feel like I can’t schedule things with my friends on the weekends because I won’t have time to get all my homework done. I really want these to be the best years of my life, but how can they be when I have school on my mind 24/7?
And last but certainly not least, the jump from Freshman to Sophomore year. This is no joke. Freshmen, be warned. You will instantly be humbled. I can’t even grapple with the fact that there were nights last year where I had no homework and weeks where I wasn’t feeling stressed about anything. I envy the freshmen who walk down the halls with cheery smiles on their faces and a little pep in their steps. If only I could transport myself back into my freshman body. To quote the great voice of the pop singer Conan Gray, “what’d I give to once again be naive.” Oh, you little, innocent freshmen. You have no idea what is to come. Please enjoy what you have while you have it.
But on a more serious note, I do think this needs to be something that is brought up amongst faculty. I was not prepared at all for what was to come. Of course, I knew there would be more work, and I knew I would be taking harder classes, but no amount of warning from the previous sophomores and no amount of watching my brother sit for hours at the table doing homework was going to prepare me for this year. On behalf of the freshmen, I propose that there be more of a preparation for the students. What this would look like, I have absolutely no idea. But, I do think the students would greatly appreciate being more prepared. It’s like being sent into a boxing ring against the world champion, but having no training whatsoever. So to the class of 2028 and every other incoming freshman that will walk the upper school hallways of FWCD, good luck.
Now I know this is a lot of ranting, but I think my friends will appreciate that I wrote it down instead of taking their precious time complaining about it. Now, onto the rave.
Rave:
After reading all of my rantings about sophomore year, you probably think there is nothing good that comes out of it, but that is not necessarily true. There are lots of good things, big and small, but I most likely won’t name them all. Freshmen, don’t be scared if you see that the rant is longer than the rave, for the mind likes to focus on the dark rather than look toward the light.
First off, we have more trust. As high schoolers, we are trusted both by our teachers and our parents to make smart decisions on our own. While this is a very nice privilege, some like to abuse it. When others abuse it, it causes both parents and teachers to put their foot down and take away other privileges including trust and freedom from the people around them. So I beg of you to not abuse your privileges. Please please please do not make stupid decisions and ruin it for the rest of us. So like I said, trust is a big one, and keeping it is the only way you will be able to actually do fun things.
Now I can’t drive yet, but once I can I will be able to go wherever I want whenever I want. I am so ready to not have to wait for someone to drive me somewhere or have to plan around someone else’s schedule. On half days I will be able to leave school whenever, and instead of walking to Whole Foods, I can drive! (P.S. If anyone wants to give me a ride next time, it would be greatly appreciated). I will be able to make late-night trips to Sonic or McDonalds (if the McFlurry machine isn’t broken) and drive to my friends’ houses whenever I want.
One thing about school is that we get to choose some of our classes. During junior and senior year we have more freedom to pick the classes we want, but at least this year I am interested in the classes I’m taking. One of my favorite classes so far has been government. I find it really interesting, and it’s cool learning about how the government works. It’s nice to have classes that you like so that you have something to look forward to each day. I am excited for next year, though, because I already have in mind some of the classes I want to take.
My advice for you is to just take it one day at a time. That is the only way you will survive this atrocity of a year. You can’t look too far into the future or you will get overly stressed and panicked. Enjoy the little things, hang out with your friends, and don’t take everything too seriously. If you’re anything like me, there are times where you take life a little too seriously. You will not fail math class. In two weeks that Spanish grade won’t matter. Your life is not determined by a grade, so it’s okay to go to bed 30 minutes early. Have fun and make sure you live a little.
I know this is a lot to take in, and it seems like a lot of complaining, but remember that this is just my opinion on the year so far. It could get better, or it could get worse. Only time will tell. Freshmen, the point of this is not to scare you; it is to help better prepare you for your upcoming sophomore year. I can only hope that I will make it through alive. Wish me luck, and thank you for taking the time to listen to my rant and rave over my sophomore year so far.
