Maybe it might just be me, but no one in the last two months probably has had the recommended hours of sleep. Perhaps, it is the shift from regular to online school or a minor excuse for the increase in procrastination. Our daily sleep intake is corrupted by the overwhelming number of assignments while attempting to also balance a healthy social life, family relationships, and other extracurriculars. I remind myself about the material I am given in classes every day and how it is repeatedly implied to be useful in the near future. As mentioned in Mr. Theriault’s class, we learn through the art of questioning, so why does the education system forces upon unnecessary information that provides no significance for my success in society? I completely understand that teachers are not exactly responsible for the concepts that we must cover during a school year, however, the workload seems to continue to pile as the year proceeds.

It is a common societal norm that when a child is born, he/she is introduced to some form of education. Of course, an infant cannot exactly adapt quickly enough to memorize the periodic table, but instead, they take pride in examining and imitating their environment as a method of learning. As one gets older, schooling becomes more rigid and formal. He/she is pushed into more expectations such as rapid improvements, communication skills, and most importantly, the ability to comprehend information in a short period of time. There has always been an unspoken rule in society where to be truly successful and “happy,” one must finish all twelve years of grade school, attend college, earn a profitable job, marry someone you genuinely love, reproduce, and finally, have your child(ren) repeat that never-ending loop. Unfortunately, even though this constant is considered an easy task, millions of students and teenagers worldwide are faced with additional challenges with the education system for the sole purpose of benefiting society. Don’t get me wrong, I love learning especially about events that occurred in history, and utilizing my freedom of speech through writing. However, I do not see a purpose in stressing out about the relationship between a wavelength and its frequency for late-night studying especially if I do not end up pursuing a chemistry-related major or work field. Instead, there are a plethora of topics that by this point in my life I believe I should master. It’s unreal to think that in three years, I am legal. An adult. Heading off to college. Schools and the education system should be a reinforcement tool to prepare for that part of our lives, but still, I do not know how to handle and organize basic necessities like paying my taxes. All of this seems so far away, yet it is so much closer than we could have ever perceived.

One’s physical, mental, and emotional state is dependent on the surrounding environment. This generation is incredibly fortunate to have such advanced technology, however, there are plenty of inevitable consequences. It has been proven that this generation with the help of social media suffers from lack of self-worth, depression, anxiety, stress, PTSD, and etc. Due to the pressure and high standards of societal norms, mental health is depleted daily for many individuals, perhaps even one of your loved ones. There is nothing enjoyable about seeing the Canvas page calendar pile up with quiz/test dates, projects, and homework assignments in each period. It was applied at a young age that through textbooks and lectures, students are able to understand a sense of common knowledge, culture, and tasks within society. Yet, everything surrounding us is a learning experience, far more priceless than getting caught up in school. Our personalities, behavior, and attitude are shaped by the people we meet, the music we admire, and even the color that we like. Valuable life lessons occur from the most unexpected results where sometimes quite honestly, the weirder, the better. It tends to be much more memorable than dreadful days, stuck inside and cramming in workloads. Everything you dread about high school right now, at this moment, might not stick in ten years, so take a nap. Sleep for a change. Who cares? This is only temporary and because of that, happy meaningful moments will always prevail over all the terrible memories.