Another summer has gone by, as always far too quickly, and a new school year is upon us. For students, it’s a chance for reinvention, new beginnings, and new adventures. A chance to ask ourselves what kind of year we want to have.
For most, if not all youth, school is the backdrop of our lives. It’s where we learn, grow, laugh, cry, bicker, find common ground, make friends, lose friends, and deal with life’s various other things in that microcosm of the real world: school.
New year’s resolutions don’t mean a whole lot to younger people; we simply don’t have enough years behind us to have a full perspective on the years ahead. Instead, we prefer to focus on new school year’s resolutions – these are a bit more concrete, but much like any new year’s resolution, they tend not to stick.
Oh sure, we resolve to get nothing but As and wear a killer outfit every day, but who are we fooling? By October, we have three Bs and a shameful C-, and we show up to school in sweatpants and a faded Batman hoodie.
But don’t worry, this is not to say your school year is doomed. The trick is to make resolutions that are a bit more specific, so we don’t end up in June feeling like massive failures in threadbare sweatpants.
Allow me to elaborate a little, if you will.
When you walk into school on the first day, looking around at every other student who definitely is not used to being up this early, you have a goal for the year. Something you say to yourself – your hopes, your aspirations, your plans for a fantastic school year. This is great, and good for you for facing the day with such courage! Unfortunately, you’re bound to run into some obstacles.
Getting only As for the entire school year is a good goal, but not always possible. You’re bound to have an off day, or get sick, or go through something awful, or one of the many other things that life throws our way daily – and you’ll hand in some subpar schoolwork. This doesn’t mean you won’t get an A in the overall class, but your prospects for an A on that test aren’t looking too good.
Maybe your big goal is to make a bunch of friends and be super popular. Go you! But, maybe, you and a good friend had a fight, and now your social circle is all screwed up because neither of you is on speaking terms.
It sucks, but it doesn’t mean you’ll die alone. Sometimes people are jerks, and you’ll have to live with that and hope they see the error of their ways, thoroughly as you may point it out. And sometimes you’re a jerk, and you’ve gotta make it right. Either way, social obstacles are never as insurmountable as they seem.
In fact, no obstacle is as insurmountable as it may seem. The trick is to be realistic while being optimistic. Instead of saying “I want all As, all year”, commit to maintaining As in your final class grades or an A average, putting extra work into those classes you struggle with.
Instead of deciding to just “be one of the popular kids,” put effort into your existing friendships and try to be friendlier and approach others with kindness and generosity.
Having a successful school year is within your power. Keep a positive attitude and remind yourself that even if you experience setbacks in your goals for the year, those goals are still within reach.
Life throws so much at you. Be kind to yourself and be confident enough in yourself to persist past setbacks and have a truly amazing school year.
See you in school!
Gabriel Mackintosh is a high-school student on the West Shore.
