You might have read before in other senior reflections “my advice to you is,” “what my time in PR was/meant to me,” or “my most memorable moments.” Don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not going to write my reflection that way.
The truth is, it’s not about me. And it seems odd to say “it’s not about me” in a reflection piece, a piece solely based on the individual’s thoughts on anything, in this case, a high school career.
Yet, a point should be made that while you should take care of yourself and feel free to enjoy your life as you see fit, you don’t need to be told how you should enjoy your life or high school career, nor should anyone rightly,definitively, tell you. In most cases you’ll probably know what is or is not for you. Even when you read someone’s advice, you’re not going to follow someone else’s advice because they told you to; you’re going to follow their advice because you WANT to. If your well being is better off by disregarding this article, go ahead.
So does this mean that you should only do what you want and to heck with everyone else? Yes and no, because life goes beyond you or me, the individual, the system, school, friends, and so on. What the individual does affects not only his or herself, it affects and reflects on people around you who are loosely connected to your school career, say, for example, the district administrator. Whatever decision you make, it’s going to affect the world or system around you. A good or bad grade reflects on your teacher.
How you interact with other people could affect how they feel that day. If you act like a jerk, that could ruin their day. Almost every act a person commits, good or bad, has some effect. This can go beyond high school. If you get caught with drugs or have a DUI that does not affect just high school life; that affects your life going forward. So when going through high school, do what feels right but also have some foresight for others around you and your future.
High school and perhaps even life can be compared to a game of poker. You’re playing the best hand you have, but you’re also playing poker with the other people at the table. It is in the best interest of the “system” to play for more than just your set of goals. Play so others can enjoy the game too. Sometimes it’s not just about the good memories you had, but about the good memories you helped to create for others.
