I've run out of witty ways to relate my post to song lyrics but this post is about school

All weekend I sat around in my dark, empty room surrounded by homework and my thoughts thinking about what I was going to blog about. Just kidding, I actually have a life outside of school. But yes, I did think about what I was going to blog about and I came up with…nothing. I had run out of creative and witty ways to twist my thoughts into the Scarlet Letter. After talking to Jen and hearing about how she had blogged about how the class erupted into flames after Ms. Valentino said grades do not define us after the grammar test scores were handed back, I was inspired.

Teachers and parents often attempt to inspire us by telling us it doesn't matter if we screw up once in a while on tests or quizzes because “we are worth more than a letter” and “a multiple-choice test doesn't define us”. Ok. I think we all know that’s pretty not true. (I could use more foul language but we have to keep it G rated here). To be perfectly honest, I enjoy going to school. I love to learn. I love to talk with people. I love to see my friends. I love to see things from different perspectives. Unfortunately though, my love for all of those things has been topped by my hate for other aspects of school. I hate the competition. I hate the homework and essays and tests and quizzes and exams. I hate the stress. I hate the superficiality. I hate the judgment. I hate the fact that everything is weighted so heavily. I hate how the futures of students are based on how well they perform in school as a teen. I hate how well I do on every single assignment in school weighs into my future. I hate how a single test will determine what college I get into.

Okay so maybe I was a little dramatic. I don’t actually have that much hate in me. I merely just dislike most of the things I mentioned.

This one failed test put a sour mood on the class and when Ms. Valentino tried to cheer everyone up, it only backfired. Telling high school juniors that grades you earn in school do not determine your future, is probably the biggest lie you can tell students.  The reality is grades do determine your future. Your gpa is one of the biggest parts of your college applications; but, how am I supposed to be expected not to mess up and get B’s as a little fourteen year old girl? Am I really going to be able to put in all of my focus into studying for the ACT’s as a junior? How am I supposed to be ready to spread my wings and learn to fly and decide what I want to do with the rest of my life at the young age of eighteen? The pressure of grades and ACT’s and SAT’s has ruined the image of school and the happiness the environment is supposed to have. While Malala is off winning the Nobel Peace Prize and trying to have all kids in the world have proper schooling, kids in America are complaining about how much they hate school. In honesty though, we don’t actually hate school. We love to learn, we just hate the pressure that is put onto it and that results in students not appreciating the opportunity of knowledge.