How to Survive School (Day 8)

June 24th I graduated! I'm officially a high school graduate and it's really weird. I'm in this "I don't know" phase where I don't know what to do with myself. Since I have finished school, I thought I would help out the people who still have a little while to go before they leave too. 

I am in no way saying that my high school experience was perfect (it definitely wasn't) nor am I saying this is how to get by when you're still in school, these are just things that I found helped ME to get through school life and maybe it will help you too. 

First of all, get involved. Getting involved in school events will benefit you more than you think. Not only will you be able to make closer friendships and memories but you'll learn life lessons that aren't taught in a classroom. For example, taking part in the school production. You make so many friendships when  doing productions and showcases. It gives you the opportunity to make memories and express your talents. Even little things like helping out at open evenings and parents evenings. You'll learn how to communicate with adults which will prepare you for whatever you do after school. I found that doing these things was always great as you could have a good laugh with friends and teachers are always so much nicer outside of school hours. 

Be positive. This obviously isn't easy but it makes school seem less stressful. Particularly during exam season, being positive will get you through it. Sometimes you just have to lecture yourself  to get through the stressful parts of school like the exams. Even when it comes to friendships, you should just stay positive. You may have conflicts with people at some point, even the ones closest to you, but you just have to be positive about things and know that everything will work out fine. 

Stay focused. School is obviously a good place to meet people who will have a good impact on your life, however the reason we go to school is for the qualifications. People tend to forget that. Stay focused and aim for good grades. Work hard play hard. Your future is determined on what you make of your school days. You become the person you'll be forever when you're at school. Being determined and focused is definitely traits that you should have. As long as you try YOUR best, that is all that matters. If you know you did all you could, then you've done it right. 

Build relationships with your teachers. People have this weird misconception that having a strong bond with teachers makes you a "teachers pet" but that isn't true at all. Being able to talk to your teachers with confidence and knowing that they support you is amazing! You know they're there to help you with ANYTHING, including school work and personal life. You don't need to tell your teachers things you don't want to but it's nice to talk to them. That is probably the thing I will miss most about not being at my school anymore.  There are so many teachers that I love and will miss tremendously. It's going to be so strange not seeing them almost every day. 

Make mistakes. Mistakes aren't something to be afraid of (most the time). They make you human. School is the best time to make mistakes as you have time to change and learn from them before you become adults. Whether it be the friends you were surrounded with or your  behaviour, you have the ability to turn it around. Make those mistakes now so  that later in life  you can look back and be proud of what you've accomplished. You can look back on your journey with pride. 

Actually talk to the people you spend your school hours with. I had the chance to talk to talk to every single person in my year at some point. Most of them are such amazing, genuine people with different stories to tell. You can learn so much just by talking to those around you. We all have so many different stories, lifestyles and personalities and it's amazing that we can share them if we choose to. 

And my final point is not to wish the days away. School isn't always great. We have our dark days but at the end of the day, most our memories made are at school. It honestly goes so quickly. Appreciate every single minute you have with everyone because after school, you won't ever see every single person you shared your journey with again. 

Thanks for reading and enjoy your school life! Good luck to all other year 11'a starting the rest of their lives. And to the people I went to school with (so weird typing that) good bye x

Have a great day.