Don't just be passing through
It's that time of year again: "Back to school" — these three words cause the strangest mixture of fear and dread of the coming death of another summer in the minds of most American students. Even students who enjoy school are flooded with anxiety and stress over the preparation.
And although the idea of having to end the 2-1⁄2 glorious months of free time can be frightening, it seems that a much more important period of time will soon pass, and we students may not even notice until it is gone.
Adults have never ceased to tell us that our youth is brief and to make the most of high school before it fades away. In recent times, this wisdom has rung truer than ever.
It seems that high school no longer manifests itself in most Faith Christian High School seniors' minds as a four-year period of our lives that will mold us into adults and write the map of our lives, but merely a minute point on our timeline that we are passing through, and it is gone in an instant.
Senior Cydney Shelby said that high school is going by "fast, most definitely. It feels just like yesterday I was a freshman, stepping my feet onto the high school campus."
Another senior, Sam Ithy, said, "I remember thinking to myself, 'High school will never come.' Now, starting my senior year, it's almost gone."
Suddenly a senior myself, I couldn't agree more with the warning that I've been hearing my entire life. My youth is nearly gone, and big decisions have to be made.
The answer I most often hear (and give) when high school students are asked about where they will be going to college, what they will study or what they want to do for a career is, "I have no idea."
But we need to start thinking about it. College is coming fast upon us, and most of my fellow seniors have made no significant decisions regarding their next step. I, too, have been found guilty of this.
"High school is going by really fast for me, and it's scary because I don't know how I will be when I'm living on my own for college," said junior Kyle Poppinga.
The problem is that most freshmen, sophomores and sometimes even juniors are told: "Don't worry; you still have time to think about it." But that response to their indecision means that most seniors at FCHS have made no decisions yet; we have been taught to put it off while we take time to figure out who we are.
Whether or not we are ready, the time has come to leave our old selves behind and become adults. We need to stop waiting and start deciding. We seniors who have put off thinking about future decisions have nearly lost the opportunity to do so, and now we must decide quickly.
Underclassmen — start thinking now. Never think that it is too early. Seniors — don't just be passing through. Get 'er done!
Travis Dodds is a senior at Faith Christian High School. His column appears every six weeks in Education.
