A Day in the Life of a High School Student

Courtesy+of+Flickr

Courtesy of Flickr

Christina Fazio '18, Staff Writer

As most of us would be able to agree, high school is sufficiently different than that of middle or elementary school. For one thing the school days feel long, but the weeks feel even longer. Assignments pile on and procrastination on Netflix takes its toll. The balance between social and academic lives becomes thin and unrecognizable. The hours in the days are numbered and the moments of relaxation are slim and fleeting. A day in the life of a high school student is not easy, but with practice, it is definitely manageable.

The abrupt sound of my phone alarm rings at 6 am every morning, and without a second thought, I press snooze. 30 minutes later, it goes off again, seemingly louder and more vibrant than the first time. I lay there waiting for something to prevent me from going to school; however, the realization eventually comes over me that I have no other option. So, I pull out my uniform and get dressed for school. Rushing out of the house to be prompt for my bus stop seems like second nature for me after the last 3 years. I see my bus driver’s enthusiastic face as he proclaims good morning to every girl as they come onto the bus. With every fiber of my being, all I want is to sleep for the 40 minute drive but know it be beneficial for me to complete homework on the bus in order to lighten my load. Whether it be AP Spanish homework, Mr. Baker’s DQ’s, or the latest guided reading questions of The Great Gatsby, I somehow manage to get work done.

The bus pulls onto school grounds at approximately 7:45, and most of the juniors manage to drag themselves somewhere around the dining room and the junior courtyard area. Catching up with friends is the biggest way I seem to procrastinate going to my first class at 8 am. However, as much as we try, classes are unavoidable. At the end of the first period, I am somehow drained and full of life all at the same time. By the end of the second period, there is a sense of stress for the workload that needs to be done before 8 am tomorrow morning. Lunch is the brief window of relaxation that somehow serves as an opportunity for students to forget their stress-filled academic lives. By the end of the third period there is a wave of hopelessness and an urge to go home and sleep, but then there’s an urgency to complete the homework, assignments, and readings. There are just not enough hours in the day.

As the buses pull in at 3:15 pm, the wave of stress comes back. I board the bus with little to no strength in my body and for some reason am capable of completing some of my school work. Although the bus ride to school is for the same amount of time as the bus ride home, the one that takes us home seems longer. I get home at around 4:30, shower by 5:15, and then spend time on my homework. Depending on how long I procrastinate by watching Netflix, going to the gym, and on the amount of work I have, I try to finish homework by 10:30 PM. With the extra time in the day, I muster in a couple episodes of Criminal Minds and find the energy to prepare for another grueling day in the morning.

High School is difficult, no matter where you go or what classes you take. At the end of the day, week, and month, the classes and assignments seem to become increasingly hard, but they are worthwhile because of how it will affect our lives in the long run.