You learn a lot of things in high school; trigonometry, physics, how to write a good essay, the basic academic necessities.
But there is so much more to academics in high school. High school is where you learn who you are. You join clubs of your interests and group with people who are like you.
The summer after I graduated, I planned out all of freshman year. I went to a small grammar school and everyone knew me as the quiet kid. I was determined to reinvent myself. I would be a popular, outgoing, join numerous clubs, and still have straight-A's. I would be the complete opposite of who I was.
When the first day of high school came, I wore high-heeled boots and a summer dress. I reminded myself to smile all the time and make friends with all of the popular kids.
My first class was P.E. I sat down with my classmates and listened to the teacher explain the semester plan. The chair was ice cold and my legs were freezing. I fidgeted and the P.E. teacher shot me the stink-eye every few minutes.
The seat was just warming up when I realized someone was calling my name. I looked up and everyone was staring at me. The teacher called my name and asked me to come up to the front of the class. I walked next up next to her. She was wearing a pink jumpsuit and blue gym shoes. Everyone was looking at me. I was getting nervous, but I told myself to act like being up there didn't affect me. I told myself was charismatic, not afraid of crowds. The teacher started to talk about dress code. They were simple: wear comfortable clothing that you can run in, gym shoes and tennis shoes are allowed, no jewelry. I was losing composure, and starting to wonder why I was up there when the teacher answered my question. I was the class example of what NOT to wear. I was so embarrassed! I knew this outfit wasn't me, but as far as everyone else was concerned, it was. That was when I realized the most important lesson of the year: that I couldn't change who I was, or try to.