How is the school year already halfway over? It feels like just yesterday I was walking into my first class of the year, ready for my last year of high school. Now I’m a semester away from graduating. What happened?
Well, I was busy taking advantage of all the perks that senior year has to offer. I’ve been enjoying unassigned study hall, blended classes, college visits and job shadowing. I’ve also participated in activities that I never have before, like the debate team.
The most important thing that I’ve found though is that I’ve figured out what I want to do. I’ve spent so long trying to make a plan for my life, and I finally have a concrete idea of what I want to do after I leave the halls of SHS.
The current plan is to teach history to high school students. I’ve known that I have a passion for history for a long time, but I couldn’t quite figure out what I wanted to do with it. After a semester of shadowing David Luers and his various classes, I knew I wanted to follow in his footsteps. While I’m still deciding what college I want to go to, I know I’m going to double major in history and secondary education.
I can’t wait for all the opportunities college will bring me. For one, I plan on studying abroad in Spain. I’ve done plenty of research on the country, and I can’t wait to experience the atmosphere firsthand.
Still looking forward, I know it’s not quite New Year’s yet, but the next time we’ll all be at school is in 2024, the year I graduate. And in the spirit of the holidays, I wanted to write about a lyric from what is perhaps my favorite Christmas song. In the chorus of “Happy Xmas” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, there is a lyric that reads “Another year over, and a new one just begun.”
I’ve always loved this song, but that one line has resonated with me more now than any other time I’ve listened to it. Something about the end of one year and the start of the next has really touched me when I think about it being my senior year. After all, this will be the last winter break of my high school career.
It feels so
weird to think about how I only have six months left with the same people I’ve grown up with over the past 12 years. We’ve all changed so much, and we’re going out into the world as our own individual people. For most of us, we won’t see a number of people from our class ever again after May 24 when we walk across the stage and move our tassels to the other side of our caps.
I’m not ready to think about that though, because I’m beyond grateful for what the last few years have brought, and I’m not quite ready to leave yet.
Starting high school in the middle of the pandemic was interesting. For one, I lost that connection immediately that I would normally have with my classmates. Luckily, I was able to find the classroom that would be my home for the next three years, Room 400.
Aside from publications, I’ve genuinely enjoyed being in high school. I love learning, which is what led to my decision to become a teacher. Learning and school has had such a positive
impact on me and the person I’ve become, and I want to be able to have that impact for my future students.
This school year has been probably the most influential for me in terms of deciding my future. Sure, the past three years have all culminated in me creating a solid plan for what I’m doing after high school, but this year is when the big decisions come.
Ultimately, I’m super proud of my growth this year, and I’m even more excited to think about where I’ll go because of the experiences I’ve had. Because another year is just about over, and a new one is about to begin.
