The Record Newspapers - Hometown News For Orange County, Texas

Maintaining a social life was not difficult when I went to private school and had only 1 friend I wanted to hang out with. However, public school, especially high school, is a lot more complicated. Especially if you have strict parents.

High school has become a struggle not only in classes but also in maintaining my social life along with my personal issues. At times it can be really overwhelming. My parents are stricter than most teenagers’ parents now days which can be frustrating at times. High school is not hard academically, for me at least. However, high school becomes hard when you lose sight of your priorities or are struggling mentally.

It becomes a cycle of being so tired all the time that you cannot concentrate in school. You may have trouble sleeping or you may be up doing assignments. As this cycle continues of you not getting enough sleep your body begins to get tired and you begin walking slower and taking longer amounts of time to get things finished.

I have grown up as the smart kid and continued to maintain this image in high school. One similarity of the people at private school and public school is that everybody wants the answers to the assignments because they are too lazy to do it. However, the difference in this is the same people that asked you for the answers to an assignment are the same people that would give you the answers to an assignment if you needed them and they have them. It was not like that in private school. Sometimes this can be annoying because all people want with you are the answers to an assignment but I also know how to say no and set boundaries.

It’s all about balance and the people you associate with. Personally I find my social life to be somewhat easy to maintain. I am very good at negotiating so if I really want to do something with someone, I negotiate with my parents. Usually I ask and their okay with me going out as long as I clean my room or clean my bathroom. Sometimes I perform tasks that my mom has wanted to get done. Although, it depends on what I ask my mom to do. A lot of the time, I don’t have to do anything that I don’t already have to do but if it’s something with a new friend or they’re coming over to my house, I have to do multiple chores. I am hoping my social life does not decline these next two years of high school. I am currently a freshman but since I am graduating early, I have to fit more core classes into my schedule and during my summers. In the end it will all be worth it and I hope I don’t regret my decision to graduate early. I have always had this plan and it is what I have wanted to do for a really long time. To be honest I don’t have as much of a social life as I would like to but that’s because I would prefer to be home or by myself. I am trying to open myself up more and be more social while I still can.

High school is not for everyone. I hate the things high school makes me feel. But if you are lucky enough to get a great group of friends or one friend, it is all you need to get you through your day.