Sick? Nobody got time for that.

When I was younger I loved the idea of being sick and getting to stay home or occassionally getting the day off... I'll admit I used to do that. Now, as an AP student in High School there is no way I can do that.

So now as I sit here and type this I am dreading the fact that I have school tomorrow. Honestly it won't matter if I'm feeling terrible tomorrow, I have lectures to listen to, homework to receive, and tests to take. This is a good reminder too... I just realized I have a Spanish  quiz first thing tomorrow. Yay. So this leaves me with a question, are there more people like me? Students who just can't afford to take time off? I have been getting less than 6 hours of sleep a night, but while this is my fault, if I was doing everything I should be (helping with the play for 2 hours a day, tutoring, doing homework and studying, and in Track) I wouldn't have time to relax or sleep. Well, I can tell you exactly way happens when people don't get time to destress, they become depressed or, like me, they get sick easily.

When these things happen it gets even worse. There is no will to focus on schoolwork or anything and students get behind in work. Now I'm all for working students hard while we are in school, but if we are expected to be well rounded schools need to give us time to be free.

Now, we do have weekends. That is a lot of time that we are allowed to do whatever we want. Wrong. I have a forty pound backpack in my kitchen telling me that I am supposed to have a break to do work so that I may go back to school to receive more work. I am in AP classes so I can't say that I disagree that it is a bad thing to have us working all the time but sometimes I want to read a book or take a nap. Another argument could be my lack of time management. Well I know many teachers who don't have a great deal of that so it seems wrong to slap that in students faces.

There are holiday breaks as well though. Week long breaks that you can unwind during. Wrong again. As a junior I have college trips, act/sat studying and scholarship searches that require time. We're not allowed to breath, we all just need to work harder until there is a migraine and complete blowout of emotions.

So if you ever wanted into the mind of a high school junior there it is. It's painful and constantly moving, but it is a part of growing up (or so I've been told). As much as I want to go to school tomorrow I have to. Sick or not, there are things to do , people to infect, and lessons to learn.

Sincerely,
 Shannon

P.S. Good luck :)

I'm freaking out for the SAT, help!

Last weekend... Well that was insanity. AP US History never seems to relent on notes (not that I would expect any different), but along with that I took the SAT for the very first time. Let me tell you, that was the best four hours of my life. Sitting in a wooden desk with silence surrounded by people I didn't know taking a test that 'determines how well you will do in college', therefore grading my knowledge and telling me how useful or worthless I am in society; all this to say my heart was traveling one million miles and I was ready to crawl in the corner and hide. I never would have got through the test if it hadn't been for a few of my friends from school finding me and us hanging out for the half hour before the test in which we stood in the cold. My proctor of the test was nervous, fast moving, and not excited to be up so early on a Saturday morning.

Schedule:
Assigned room/administrator by manager of test by last name
Enter room showing ID and ticket
Essay portion along with one small section (math, writing, or reading)
Break (5 min)
2 sections (writing, reading, or math)
Break
2 sections (writing, reading, or math)
Break
2 sections (writing, reading, or math)
Break
2 sections (writing, reading, or math)
Break
1 final section
Go home and sleep!
(some test administrators only give out three breaks. but we received five)

Even though I was scared out of my mind I would encourage you to take the test once at least, maybe even twice, even if you plan to go to a JC. That may seem silly, but I bet you that taking it will grow you emotionally in a way you never realized it could. The test itself actually brought forth an 'aha moment' where I realized all the people next to me were in the same boat; we were taking that test and each of us was nervous and frightened and ready to leave. We are all growing up and taking those next steps toward college, everyone is lost and confused and new to everything together.

Getting Ready for the SAT:

On the matter of apparel the majority of students were wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, but if you feel that you will do better in dress clothes feel free to wear them. I wore a maxi skirt and a nice top and felt overdressed, but awake. Next time I might stay away from skirts though.

Sleep was a big issue for me and I was particularly upset because I didn't get enough. My mom had late night errands to run and we ended up walking around Buy Buy Baby for an hour after I should have been in bed. I say get as much sleep as possible, I felt like passing out by the sixth section (if you aren't familiar with the test there are ten sections in all).

What to Bring: Student ID or License, printed ticket with correct information, calculator, water, a snack, and a strong enthusiastic personality. Breaks are short, there is no food or water on desks during the test and we cold not leave until break time (at least for my room, the manager of the test said we could have water on the desks, as well as we were allowed to go to the bathroom while the test was in session, yes I see the paradox so I just followed my proctor's directions with a mind of ambiguity)

Overall I honestly was scared ore than I  enjoyed the SAT,but I don't' think that should stop someone from taking the test. If you are just preparing for the test and it is a ways off, take this timeseriously, I wish I had put more than just my weekends into studying. Or, if you are like me and you are freaking out about the test the night before so you have tried to search all types of sites to make sure everything is right, just stop, breath and go to bed. You don't need anything more than I stated above, no social security number, no special random item that is obscure. Just be calm and have faith in your studying.

Good luck with your test and always go back and check your answers if you have time,
Shannon

A Year and a Half to Go

Welcome! With one semester completed of my junior year, I am starting to feel the pre-graduation jitters. Growing up, gaining new responsibilities, making choices that will impact my life forever; it's a lot to handle. I know there must be more people going through these same experiences and I hope to connect with you through our common struggles as we go on to (hopefully) become adults.

So who am I? Well I am a high school junior at a small private Christian school. I have been attending since preschool and I would not have transferred to another school if given the chance. I run Cross Country in the fall and Track in the spring and I'm not to shabby at either, but I have a lot of room to improve. I am fighting for valedictorian or salutatorian, yet I worry constantly that I will never get into any of the schools I am aiming for. Personality wise I try to be helpful but somehow always end up in more of a mess than I started with, especially when it comes to friends. My laziness has a tendency to triumph over my need for perfection. I AM SOCIAL. I cannot explain this enough, I can't go without talking to people for a long period of time, but yet I need my space just like any teenager. Especially when I 'm stressed, then I just become a time bomb.

So half a year into school I felt a pull to express myself and everything that is going on in my life, whether it be SAT's, volunteer work, my lack of time management, or my ever changing schedule. Let me take a wild guess, you are feeling the pressure on at least one of those as well... You aren't alone, I'm feeling the stress too. I have those days that just need to be spent alone in a dark room or out in the middle of nowhere screaming as loud as possible. Between school and outside life I am a wreck but I'm working through it; hopefully this empowers you to do the same.

Maybe putting my life down in words will help me as well, I'm still deciding whether I want this as a journal-like site or strictly Junior advice through my experiences. Whatever I choose I hope you follow along to see all the madness that encompasses my Junior year of high school.

Sincerely,
                Shannon

Fill in bubbles and a wooden #2 pencil, I think we all know what that means! Next I will be covering my ACT/SAT prep, so remember to check back in next week!