Choices

If you are a highschool student like me, you know that there are a lot of decisions you have to make. It feels as if with a single mistake, you will be off track. The grade twelves are making the biggest decisions by far; do they want to go to university? How are they supposed to apply to post-secondary opportunities? Which school do they want to go to? What are they going to study? On the other hand, Grade 10s and 11s are struggling with decisions like CO-OP, courses, and clubs. The grade nines are worrying about their first exams, grades, and social lives. In summary, school goes from who to hangout with at lunch, to how we will finish our assignments on time. The whole highschool experience is not at all what the coming-of-age movies promised. We have so many more choices to make, and they often feel like they can dictate the rest of our lives. Despite the resources we have, such as teachers, student success, guidance counselors, and more, it feels like all is resting on our shoulders alone. Not to mention that we are still figuring out who we are as people and how to get to where we want to go. Unfortunately, there is no set path - no one way to go through it. We all have different methods to manage stress and difficulties of being a teenager. How can we be sure that we are making the right choices if there is no right way? So as you read this, be proud of yourself and all that you have achieved, including how you manage being a student and handling the expectations that everyone sets for you. Here's to doing things your own way, and knowing everything will be fine. Going into the second semester, take a deep breath. Step back and acknowledge all that you have accomplished. Hold your head high knowing that you are not alone.