Now that I’m graduating, I was asked to take the time to reflect on the experience of my years at school.
Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed it most of the time. I know, huge shock, a teenager had a good time in school. Everyone should just absorb that for a moment.
Yes, I had some really stressful classes that would leave me crying on my mom’s shoulder and going crazy, but there were so many others that I loved and left with a lot of knowledge and great times. There were a couple teachers that made things really hard and unpleasant for me, but that only made me stronger once it was over. Then there were the best teachers who made their classes fun and a wonderful experience.
Despite this, I can easily say that I’ve been anxiously waiting for this day for years, always wishing school would just end already. Now that it has come though, I don’t quite know if I’m ready yet. I’ve spent 13 years going to school. I don’t really know how to do anything else.
I can’t imagine a better place to go to school. I don’t just mean L.V. Rogers, but every school I went to before that.
I live way out in the tiny community of Procter and went to Redfish Elementary School across the lake. There were small classes and everyone knew everyone. The teachers were sweet and kind, and those were probably some of the best years of my life. I got transferred into French immersion at Hume School for Grade 6, something I’m surprisingly grateful for now. It was so hard to deal with in middle school, but that may be because I’m pretty lazy with schoolwork. I ended up dropping it in Grade 9, and while I know that this probably saved possible lower grades in some of my courses, I do regret it. I’ve lost a lot of my ability to speak French now, but I do have an easier time learning other languages as a result. Despite my less than fully pleasant experience, I strongly suggest anyone who has the passion for languages should go for it.
Going into middle school in Nelson was a totally different experience from my small schools before it, and it was hard at first. Middle school tested close friendships and who I was as a person, but coming forward into my final years of school made me a more secure and much happier person.
I’ve never heard of a high school that is as accepting and inclusive as LVR. Bullying generally doesn’t happen here, and though some people do tend to stay in one group, I know many more that are incredibly diverse. Everyone is relatively friendly with each other, or they are at least accepted.
What’s it like being a graduating student in 2011? All I can really say to that is that it’s hard.
Getting into post-secondary school is harder, more expensive, and more necessary than it’s ever been. It’s rare that you can get a career without some sort of degree or diploma these days. There’s so much pressure to even get a summer job making minimum wage so you can save up for years more of stress and torture at yet another learning institution.
Don’t even get me started on the pressure of our generation having to “change the world.” The world is so damaged now, and it is being handed down to us. It’s our job to fix it. So what has this led to? Way more interest in the environment, wildlife, and going green. A lot of graduates are going into this field, and hopefully I’ll be one of them after taking a year off to, yes, get a job to pay for it.
I came into LVR not really knowing who I was, what my passion was, and I was scared. I took all the general classes, one of each area, so I felt more like a rounded person. And guess what? I still don’t know what I’m doing, what I truly enjoy, and I’m still terrified. But at least I’ve accepted that.
Everyone goes into high school with the sudden pressure of being closer to the real world. You feel like you have to figure out what you want to do with your life right away, yet I’ve come out the other side knowing that’s not the case.
So thank you to everyone who made me who I am today, because I’m happy with my life and how I’m turning out. As I walk across the stage to receive my diploma today, I’ll be smiling and quite possibly tearing up, finally celebrating the sweet freedom with my family, my friends, my classmates, and the teachers and community that made this all possible.
Now off I go....
Kaitlyn Foot is a Grade 12 L.V. Rogers student who writes a regular community page column in the Star. All of us at the Star wish her good luck with the weekend and the next stage of her life.