When home stops feeling like the place you live and more like the place you sleep at night, school feels like a constant battle of being good enough, and work starts to feel like a constant evaluation of why you are not good enough. What happens when extracurriculars become your safe space, and the people who are supposed to support you want you to quit? Being involved in school is one of the most shaping parts of high school. However, oftentimes, when students become passionate and involved, it leads to an overwhelming abundance of late work, an unhealthy sleep schedule, and damage to their social emotional health.
As a high school student who participates in seven extracurriculars and has two jobs, I have days that I walk into school, practice, or work thinking of every excuse of why I need to go home. Though I can proudly say that I never used any of these excuses, there are times I should have. Only a few of my closest friends or trusted teachers really know what all I was dealing with, but they watched me as I went on with my day with a smile because I am scared of knowing what missing one more day of school would mean for me. During my freshman and sophomore years I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life and it makes it difficult to feel like you will have a successful career. Competing in Floriculture through FFA brought out parts in me that I didn’t know I had. I had never worked as hard as I did preparing for state contest, and I had never even imagined what outcome that would bring me. The team won state and is headed to nationals at the end of the month; this is an opportunity that, to me, is worth a few missing assignments.
As an active FFA member and the Vice President of the chapter, I find myself missing on average around two days of school a week for contests and community service. Though some teachers have been supportive academically and emotionally, other teachers have strict policies. They will refuse to consider extending deadlines or provide much help because my absences were for a school activity. Other people in authority have even claimed that I am not dedicated because I prioritized getting caught up over their sponsored activity, and that is one of the most offensive statements someone has ever said to me.
What I feel some teachers overlook is the fact that my life doesn’t stop when I go to FFA. I see many contests as an opportunity, for not only self improvement, but also networking for my future career. I am often missing tests, and when teachers view our competitions as a day off, it’s hard to communicate with them about why I am so behind.
While some people only assume that my life is constantly social and fun, it’s isolating to never see my family and to miss out on hanging out with my friends, but I think it’s important to recognize that love is found everywhere. I have found family in everything I do and I recognize the people who have been like family to me. I am able to fully cherish the time I do get to spend with my blood family even if that just means getting to eat dinner with them once every few weeks. Though the weeks I don’t see them are hard, it has brought out the child in me when I feel like every time I do. I want to stress that highschool is four years that you’ll never get back. Though it’s possible to do similar clubs and activities in college or after high school, never again will I be able to march in the band in my cheer uniform, and that idea genuinely saddens me. One day, I will not remember the tests that I had mental breakdowns about, but I will remember the people and memories that came with being so involved and that makes me confident that it was all worth it.
