Slice of Life #15 - Worrying About School...Is It a Good Thing?

March 15th, 2013

If and when we ever write a handbook for the future generations of High Techers, the official preamble should really be this:
We the students of High Technology High School, in order to form a more perfect union, work too quickly, stay up past midnight, cram for tests, promote the general hysteria, and secure the blessings of paranoia  to ourselves and our classmates, do ordain and establish this "How to be a Nerd" handbook for all High Techers to ever come.

Despite the general truthfulness of this preable, sometimes we can't be too proud to be so panicky all the time.
Last night, I stayed up my latest ever yet--about 12:40 PM. My enitre family had gone to sleep already, and I was still studying for history. I didn't even procrastinate yesterday. I came home from school late because I had to do science league, and then after half an hour I left for orchestra. After coming home at 9:30, I shoved dinner into my mouth and went to work at 10:00. (I'm a slow eater. I can't help it. If I eat fast my stomach hurts). I had four quizzes to study for, including a biology quiz that I actually studied for this time. Usually I don't even have to, but this time I panicked, since the quiz was bound to have possible outcomes, which is related to math. My weakest point in math is possible outcomes.

Sometimes, I think High Techers worry too much about grades, myself included. I think part of it is the pressure--as you see others say they spent 3 hours studying for a history quiz, and you only studied for 20 minutes at home and 5 minutes on the bus (which is basically all the time you have) you can't help being at a disadvantage. So you stay up later. You remind yourself of the terrible grade you got on the last quiz and try to redeem yourself. You push yourself to study--but the next day, you're too tired to focus on the quiz. Even when you get a hundred, it's too late to push up your deathbound average. It's a depressing, negative cycle, giving you the feeling that one bad quiz grade is all it takes to bring you down. So we study more. And more. And more. Until we have dark circles under our eyes and almost fall asleep in math class even though the class is actually interesting. Our growth is impeded (especially for those of us who haven't started really growing yet, and were going to grow a lot in high school). We're stressed out from the sleep deprivation and the almost primal instinct to get a good grade. So sometimes, I can't help but think: what if we didn't have to do all of this?

Another point: In general, High Techers work too late, and too fast. During Latin class today, Magistra told us to work in groups and finish 3 tasks. In my group, Prashil and Elvis chattered away, having a good time, and recieving plenty of evil stares from Magistra. However, we did pay attention to the quality of our work. Although we finished about 5 minutes later than the other group, who zipped through everything, we goot more questions right. And when the other group got a question wrong, there was always one or two people who would say, "OH, I didn't get it wrong..." Because you weren't working with your group, people. Listen to directions! xD This might go against the divine laws of High Tech to work more slowly, but sometimes it's really necessary.

While we must be proud for our nerdiness, it comes with a hefty price. Students in other schools might not study or panic as much, and might not get as high grades as we do, but they often get more valuable things: health, family time, friend time, fun time. We push aside the things we really need because we're deluded into thinking grades are the only thing we need--it really saddens me to see this. My parents refer to the times when they were in high school. They tell me how easy their classes were, how they could fail as many quizzes they wanted, but as long as they knew the information well, they would get into an awesome college. But I have to say, "That was back then. It's different now." Then, of course, I go do my homework.