A Modern High School Experience

What do high school students do every day? This question varies from person to person, but most of us are given the ability to decide what makes our lifestyle. In a blatantly simplified version of time management, we have the option to pick two values out of three. The three values that we are given are social life, good grades, and sleep. High school students have the option of picking two of these values. Taking good grades and sleep leaves the student without a social life. Taking a good night’s rest and time to socialize with friends leaves the student without time to study and do essays or homework as proficiently as they may like. Taking both a social life and proficient marks leaves the student without any time to rest.

In reality, the system has more values than three. There are other factors that can be more specifically chosen such as hobbies, extra-curricular, free time, relationships, et cetera. The general concept is that a student cannot possibly manage their time to do everything that they desire (or is required of them). The issue at hand is that as privileged high school students, we are expected to be well-rounded in all of these areas. Simply put, it is impossible to live up to a stereotypical expectation of “the perfect student”. We want to make our resume of experiences strong enough that we will be accepted into colleges, but also want to manage time so that we don’t spend our lives weighed down in the metaphorical chains of labor. Our parents tell us repetitively that college is very important, and getting into a college of our choice is well worth the effort that we put in now. As a result of this information, some people will try to achieve perfect grades with as many AP/honors classes as possible. Some people will play a variety of sports and improve their athletic abilities. Some people will participate or even take leadership roles in clubs and activities, signing up for every volunteer charity trip. The amusing thing is that all of these students wish that they had more time to be doing what the other students are pursuing. High school students want to be perfect and want to have enough time to look like a miracle worker on a college resume. Unfortunately, we must choose what it is that we value most and what we are best at.

I would like to give some insight as to what I do/prioritize in the “pick two out of three” system. This is a day in the life of Davis Zung, an ordinary high school student.

Wake up at 6:00. Congrats, another night of six hours of sleep. Get dressed and get in the car that takes me to the train station that takes me to Summit. After getting off the train I could walk to school or wait for the bus that will arrive in twenty minutes. I walk every time.

It is now 7:30, I am at school and putting my lunch in my locker. I climb out of the locker room and into the gym, sit down, listen to music, and try to close my eyes for as long as possible. Twenty-five minutes later I go to the first class.

So Davis what do you do in class? Great question. I look the teacher dead in the eye and listen intently to every piece of information that is said or written on the board. It doesn’t matter if we are talking about pie charts or blueberry pie, I will have about four pages of color-coded notes that discuss the topic in detail. I will remember to study these notes when I get home from school and use my knowledge to obtain a perfect score on every quiz and test in the class. Wait for no, that’s a lie. I’m actually trying to get closer to my seventh hour of sleep.

After the first class comes our CWP (Common Work Period). God bless the new schedule. The CWP is thirty minutes of free time that we can use to do whatever we please. We are encouraged to use the time to work on schoolwork, projects, or meet with a teacher to study. So far the CWP has blessed me with time for film notes, Omega work, a break to empty my bladder, some relaxing music, and that seventh hour of sleep that I have been striving for.

At 10:00 we move to the midday classes. There isn’t much to say about these classes because every student is only thinking about lunch. The students trudge through these classes and continue to take steps to the light at the end of the tunnel, or maybe the meal at the end of the breadcrumbs.

After the midday classes, I take a seat at the picnic tables next to the field, crack open my lunch box, and chow down with my friends. It takes a mere ten minutes of the thirty-five minute period to eat, so most of the time in lunch is spent as social time or just a break from the heat of battle. Students all sit in their cliques discussing matters of trivial importance or merely cracking jokes. On the particularly sunny days, I like to step out of the shade and feel the blessing of the sun’s rays. This “sunbathing” time is very important to me because it provides an alternative to freezing in “Cranley’s Ice Box” (A majority of the school is heavily air conditioned and I often find myself with goosebumps despite wearing a sweater). The minutes proceeding lunch are often spent in grief.

The last periods of the day are uneventful as I patiently await the afternoon announcements. These periods are often the most tedious as they are spent in eager patience. After what would seem like an eternity the announcements come on. I filter out the information of what events apply to me and what information isn’t relevant. The bell rings and I gather my belongings and walk to the train station. Walking uphill isn’t very luxurious, but it’s better than the cold temperatures of the morning walk. The train arrives in Summit at 3:04 and gets me back to my mom at 3:40.

I finally arrive home at 4:00, giving me a whole hour and a half to complete homework, get changed, and watch an episode of Netflix before I have to go to work. My wonderful mother usually prepares a snack for me so that I can experience the bliss of apples and zucchini bread while I am preparing to go to work. I leave the house at 5:30 to get to my job at the local YMCA. The YMCA is only a few minutes away, but I pride myself in being early, or at least on time, for everything that I do.

I work from 6:00 to 8:30 taking care of kids that range from ages six to fourteen. Most of the time I am bored out of my mind, but sometimes the kids actually make pretty good conversation. My job description is simply to be a shepherd to the herd of sheep that are dropped off by significantly larger and older sheep. At the end of my shift, I turn off all of the lights, close the door, and change from my blue staff shirt into a tee shirt and shorts. I clock out and head downstairs to the gym. Now I could explain in detail how I exercise, but I won’t because that would be considered some kind of narcissistic boasting in today’s society, and I would be mocked (what a world). I would have excluded the exercise part altogether, but I am trying to give an accurate depiction of how a student may spend their time.

I come home anywhere from 9:00 to 9:50, depending on how long I exercised. I eat dinner (usually consisting of chicken and some carrots) and take a shower. I now have to do the rest of my homework that isn’t finished. Most of my school work gets done at this part of the night and I am grateful that the new schedule has given me some extra time to work on assignments.

After my work is done I can browse social media, watch Youtube videos, watch more Netflix, or play video games. I always pair these activities with music. This is my free time, the portion of the day that I spend relaxing and being comfortable. Somewhere near the end of this free time, I fit in a few minutes to practice piano. Practicing piano usually only takes ten or twenty minutes. I have a lesson every Tuesday, and it only takes thirty minutes of practice to learn two or three pages of sheet music. I often get adventurous and play a piece from Arcade Fire, Kanye West, or Logic, but that’s getting off topic.

Finally, after spending my free time, I get tired and decide that it is time to get those sweet six hours of sleep. I put clothes in my bag for tomorrow’s gym class and slide into bed. So now you know how I spend my time. You know my priorities, some interests, and overall you know what I do on a day to day basis. You know that I prioritize fitness, personal happiness, and musical prowess over a strong eight-hour sleep. You know that I am not a great academic student, and focus my time on my own interests rather than the interests that I have been assigned. And lastly, you have been given an example of how a high school student might manage their time. Instead of choosing sleep, grades, or a social life, I chose none of them and decided to spend all of my efforts in the most self-centered and narcissistic way (Irony from paragraph twelve). I sacrificed grades, social life, and sleep in order to give myself time to practice things that I am interested in. How will you manage your time as a student? How will you manage your time as an adult?