School. What do you think of when you hear the word? Some may think of friends while others think of homework. When I hear the word school, I think of it as something that I have to do but don’t want to. I think of stress and anxiety and group projects with people I don’t know. I think of homework that I don’t understand but I am too afraid to ask for help. I think of it as knowing the answer to your question but too afraid to be wrong. I think of waiting for someone to turn their test in first so I’m not the only one standing up by myself. I think of the gut-wrenching feeling of having to stand in front of the class to present something. I think of not wanting to speak up for fear of being judged. I think of waking up and wanting to go back to bed because I don’t see the point. But there is a point.

School. It’s what gets you from point A to point B. It’s what starts the next chapter in your life. It pushes you to have the confidence to do what you want, to be who you want to be. At school, you form bonds with people that may last a lifetime. At school, you learn to get along with people you never thought you would. School is the place where you want to fit in but know it’s OK to stand out. School is the place where people are all there for the exact same reason. School is the place where you might excel in one class while others excel in another. School is the place where it’s OK to feel anxious, it’s OK to be afraid of something because you have others who are going through the exact same thing we can help you through it.

School. It’s that one point in your life where you always want but can’t go back to. It’s the years that you’ll miss the most when all is said and done. School is where you meet the people who you know will always be there for you and leave behind the ones you know won’t. Your school years are something you will always cherish. School dances, football games, field trips, lunch conversations, these are the things that you always remember. Even after we graduate and we start our new lives on our own we will always have those memories to fall back on. This is the one experience that you know that everybody has to do but doesn’t always want to do. But we do anyway and in the end, we’re thankful for it because we formed those bonds and made those memories.