It is the beginning of a new school year, but I’m reflecting on the end.
At the end of each school year, the Globe seniors form a panel to give advice to their younger colleagues. I have vivid memories of these meetings, sitting cross-legged on the ground with ears perked to avoid missing the wisdom of those I idolized, the upperclassmen. It’s hard for me to believe that it is time for us to take on the role of these “elders.”
I’m thinking about what I would say to the underclassmen. Not only to prepare myself for this panel, but also so I can embrace this advice myself as I take on my last year at Clayton.
It begins with my personal experiences.
I’m over-ambitious, a perfectionist, an over-thinker and competitive with myself. Second semester of sophomore year, I started having panic attacks. They continued into junior year, and the frequency and severity only increased proportionally with my work levels. As my mental health declined, passion and work morphed into oil and water. “What’s the point?” I asked myself.
What is the point?
This is the question I want the underclassmen to consider.
Why do you work so hard? What is it all for?
Here’s my take. We have our times where we get fed up with Clayton, with high school, with homework, but truth be told, we are privileged to have this education.
And the point of a good education is to enrich your self. Not yourself. Your self. Can you imagine a life without your self? I can’t.
Especially in these teenage years, where we truly develop our identities and unearth new passions, it’s so important to have this great education. To be learning new things. To be learning how to think deeply. Thus, you should be working hard with a desire for edification.
But, you can’t nurture your mind if it is beginning to crumble. You can’t feed your soul if you feel you have none. School should be building you, not hurting you. And the longer I’ve been through these rough times, the more I see that there are so many people and opportunities here at Clayton to help you achieve that goal.
Talk to people. Make new friends. Build new connections with teachers. Work hard, but breathe. Sleep. Don’t drain yourself for the sake of turning in one homework assignment when you haven’t gotten sleep in three days. Be creative. Write a short story. Compose a song. Paint. Dance. Exercise. Go to yoga. Try new things.
I’m walking into senior year ready to take advantage of all Clayton has to offer, to work hard and to try to breathe more often. Sure, stressful times are inevitable, but I am going to take them as an opportunity to grow, and won’t feed them with negative energy. I’ve resolved to be myself, care for my self and to grow as a thinker.
That’s the point, underclassmen. That’s the point
