Maturing in High School

After a year at the Law Magnet, the main impression I’m left with is that growing up is a phenomenon that must be readily accepted. Maturing is not something that is realized in the moment; instead, it is realized in retrospect, as one sifts through the scrapbooks of their mind and find that their makeup is now more refined, or obsolete, that their relationship didn’t work out, their friends have turned distant, that they see someone else in the mirror. The new person they see may be more intelligent or outgoing, or beaten to a pulp by schoolwork, or similar to who they once were, just older and even hardened. Some were handed a reality check as deadlines turned out to be more than random dates, some made friends they desperately needed, but one fact that unites all students of the Townview Magnet Center is that we are all in the process of growing up.

     To many, maturing is a painful experience. We are riddled with nostalgia for the years when we had never heard of AP tests or attendance for credit, and in the process we resent the future and the responsibility it promises. The Law Magnet hit many of its new students with a dose of responsibility. Disregarding assignments and missing school are now meaningful failures that impact our student ranking and chances at scholarships. Students across the world are competing for the same opportunities, and slacking off now bears more weight than slacking off at any earlier point in life. Without our parents hovering over us, the outside world seems ever more fearful and real. These facts were laid bare upon entering the Law Magnet, and, with time, a large number of us have risen to the challenge of excelling in spite of our fears. Others still must accept their new responsibility, but they will find that it is necessary step to growing up

     Although it may sound terrifying, maturing has offered some pleasant surprises. Our desired careers seem more attainable than ever before, though part of growing up is understanding that every goal is achieved if and only if one puts in the work to achieve it. In addition, the exposure to new people has provided many of us with a space to be heard and understood. Where some felt constricted in a middle school setting, high school has provided the resources to pursue what we love, with the company to make growing up a less grueling process.

     Of course, one can’t forget the words of the wise Uncle Ben: “With great power comes great responsibility.” While high school has turned out to be a fun, freeing experience, the truth is that the pressure now is greater than it ever was before. There are many factors uniting the Townview student population, such as the watchful eyes of our parents, the GPA requirements of colleges, the expectations of teachers, and our expectations of ourselves. Every mistake, like skipping classes and missing deadlines, crumbles the foundation of our goals. In the face of everyone else’s ambitions and achievements, what’s most important now is to not lose your way. Although we are all surrounded by future interns at law firms, scholarship recipients, and graduates of top colleges, it is vital to appreciate the time and resources you have and avoid comparison to others. By maturing, we accept that we are entering a phase in our life where we may not be the best now, but there is always space to improve. In this new era of our lives, each student has been handed the task of following their own path, and each student will someday, in their own time, rise to the challenge.