Graduation Speech : High School And College

High school is supposed to be the place where you have fun and a time in your life you’re supposed to enjoy. Movies often trick you into believing that high school is an amazing time in your life and there is nothing but parties and fun. In Bring it on, they portrayed the fun and exciting part of high school cheer-leading, however they intentionally leave out the tough times high school students’ face in school and in their practices. In other popular movies, such as High School Musical the students have no pressures other than the next basketball game. In reality, this doesn 't happen. The constant pressure is affected by the grade level you are in. In high school, students can be classified based on the pressures that are faced in each grade level into the categories of freshman, sophomores/juniors, and seniors. I am here to help you make your high school experience less stressful.

I dance 20 hours a week, and found it very hard to keep up with my school work. Many other students have the same problem with their after school activity. If we didn’t have the option of attending a K12 high school, there would be fewer up and coming athletes in the world. In this essay, I am going to tell you why it is a good idea to have a transfer offer from public high school to online high school. There can also be many issues that teens face in completing their school work on time, and correctly. Some students do not have time to do their work in the best effort and skills that they can do, which brings their grade and self-esteem down in a flash if they do one thing incorrectly. Some students do not have time to do school work at

once in college, Rose explained “all in all there was a dreary impotence to the years, and isolation, and a deep sadness about my father” (44).

Ahhhhh finally “College Life” has arrived. No more stress, less work, later classes, time to just sit back and relax. “Going to school will be easy” as some say. Well those that think that are setting themselves up for failure. “1 in 3 first-year students won’t make it back for sophomore year” and one of the mains is because of “academic struggles” (U.S. News). The ‘College Life” is not all that it is cut out to be. With new surroundings, unfamiliar faces, and new professors some first-time students tend to struggle getting through the first semester. Mrs. Amy Fox’s is one of the hardest classes Elizabethtown Community & Technical College has to over. This is an English 101 class that is mandatory for all students towards a degree. Though she is not the only professor teaching English 101, many students take her class and some say it can be pretty challenging. Mrs. Fox’s class is hard because students must adjust to two teachers, the amount of work given, and the hybrid Fridays.

After graduating college, many aspects of your life start to change. For example, now you have to find a full-time job within your degree, your social life starts changing, you are no longer able to afford the same luxuries as before, and lastly you are learning how to live independently without the help of your parents. Now is the time to move to the next phrase in your life, away from everything you once knew.

Grammar school, middle school, and most high schools share one thing in common; they offer the same basic history, math, English, science, and social science course. By the time high school comes around students have already learned the same things again but only this time it is harder and more in depth. College becomes a time that a student really begins to learn about what they want to do with the rest of their lives. When applying to college, applicants don’t apply to learn math, English, history, and science. They apply to learn just math, English, Art, Business, Biology, Chemistry, Criminal Justice and many others. By having a core curriculum, it takes away time that students have to learn deeply about their program of interest. However, if colleges and universities focused more on the curriculum of student’s majors, and less on the core curriculum, these students may have a better understanding of what they want and less chance of graduating late.

In high school I was involved in a lot of community service. I participated in a group that was focused mainly on preserving the environment. Every year, our school celebrates Earth Day, which is a huge event that is held every year in April to celebrate the earth and the environment. Our group was actually the head of the celebration. Hensler’s Nursery donates hundreds of baby trees to our school every year. We go and dig up the trees, get them ready to be handed out and then hand them out, every year. We also put on a program at the elementary school every year teaching students about the environment and why it is important to protect the environment. We always passed out either baby pine trees or plum trees. We teach the kids how to

In every classroom, there will also be students who come different backgrounds. Students will come from different cultures, various levels of poverty, numerous religions, and assorted family structures. When there are a variety of cultures represented in a classroom, it is the job of the teacher to make every student feel welcome and special. Getting to know students and parents and having a warm, inviting classroom culture are a few ways to help students from different backgrounds have the best experience in school they can.

Going to college can be a very rewarding experience for a traditional, or non-traditional student who wants to go back to school. More money on a paycheck can be a reason why someone would want to presume their education. Another reason why someone would want to go on to college would be to increase their intellect so they can be more sophisticated in life. Someone might also want to further their education because college teaches your life skills. A college education can be very rewarding for a traditional or nontraditional student by making more money, more intellect, and learning life skills for the world.

In high school there are numerous classes that must be taken. Most of the required core classes consist of math, science, English, and history. However, there is something these classes do not teach about, though and that are life skills. No one can learn how to care of a child or sew a button with a math class, for example. Science students do not learn how to change a light bulb or check the oil in a car, instead they focus on how light is created. History teaches us how countries were formed or torn apart, but it does not teach students how to build a relationship. Schools are focused on the academic side of school and they do not focus on what is going to help their students and that would be a life class. Having a life skills class would be able to teach students how to cook, clean properly, use medicine, take care of a child and so many more life skills that many are not taught at home.

Early teenagers look forward to one thing during their final year in middle school, high school. Some high school graduates may consider those four years the best years of their life because of the minimal stress and care free living. The purpose that high school serves in the twenty first century is to prepare students for college. A few minor reasons for high school are preparation for the workforce, community building, and socialization. With approximately only twenty five percent of freshmen classes graduating, the high school education is in danger. A high school diploma in the twenty first century is a necessity. According to Koenig, “high school dropouts make $200,000 less than a high school graduate in a life span” (76). As poverty increases, the high school drop out rate is increasing as well. Many high school dropouts do not fully understand the importance of a high school diploma. The outcome of not receiving a high school diploma should be made visual through a students time spent in school. The high school education is in jeopardy because of family background, students themselves, and academics.

“The future belongs to the nation that best educates its citizens. We have everything we need to be that nation … and yet, despite resources that are unmatched anywhere in the world, we have let our grades slip, our schools crumble, our teacher’s quality fall short and other nations outpace us”-President Obama (Splitt).

I had always done really well in school. High school I managed a 4.0 all four years. Not that this was any major feat for me. I didn’t even have to try. Show up to class, take some notes, and then pass all the tests with flying colors. I do have to thank high school for making school seem so incredibly easy, and for it making me think I was smart without even trying. Heading into college I thought I would ace though all of my classes no problem. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

In the year 2012, I was supposed to be excited and proud of myself. 2012 was the year that I graduated from high school. During the time following up to my graduation I was living in the moment I was pumped up because I was going to be done with high school. High school is known for being the best time of anyone’s life, and indeed it was. Well the time came around for me to check out of all my classes and the final thing was to practice for the actual graduation. Life seem to change more and more it started to feel more and more real. I realize that I was no longer going to be a young teen I was growing up. I had to start to think about college and work all these things were running through my head as I was practicing for graduation. I decide to stop thinking about that and just enjoy the moment. Well the day finally came for the big day I had my graduation and let me tell you it felt so unreal I never seen so many proud parents cheer and yelling when they heard the child’s name being announced as they received their diploma.

In a small high school, everyone knows each other and every move made is scrutinized. Many people in my high school tried their absolute hardest to fit in, but for me uncomfortableness has always lead to a missed opportunity. I ran my high school. I was the kid who was president of everything, sat on the board of education and even had a little mailbox next to all the teacher’s mailboxes. Intense and extroversion are two words that I have always related to, but when the opportunity came to be crowned king of my school, I just wasn’t interested.