High school or senior school was one of those times in my life when I learned a lot, beyond just education itself. I was a real geek at school and loved learning, which immediately put me in a category to be teased. I found what I thought at the time was my friendship group and it wasn’t until university that I would truly be myself and find my friends for a lifetime.
There are lots of things that senior school taught me beyond just education. Hopefully, this post will give you an insight into senior school, whether you’re heading there soon or you’re considering certain schools for your children. With plenty of secondary schools in Leicester, it’s worth exploring what’s out there and which ones might be most suitable for you or your children.
*This is a collaborative post. Image Source
*This is a collaborative post. To be myself
One of the major life lessons I got from high school is that I wasn’t really, truly being myself. I would always be a version of myself that held me back. It probably wasn’t until I reached college that I could be more of myself when I got to do drama. Sadly, during my time at high school, drama had been wiped from the curriculum but frustratingly added back in once we left.
I found myself being someone else in order to fit in and I would hold back my personality for fear of being teased even more than I was. I got teased simply for my surname Redman which is so childish looking back but it definitely got to me at the time.
Know that not everyone will like you
As a human being, it’s one of the most important life lessons to take with you everywhere you go. From every educational institution you study at, to every company you work for. Not everyone is going to like you – and that’s ok.
If we all liked each other – sure there would likely be a lot more peace – but it would be a boring place. No one would want conflict and our personalities in general would likely be very similar.
It’s difficult to accept when you’re young and you want to impress everyone you meet. However, trying to be everyone’s friend is only going to cause you a lot of pain as a result.
Friendships come and go
It’s a promise you make with your friends when you’re younger – that you’ll stay friends forever. In reality, though, those that do stay friends will likely spend more time living in the same area. Others will have found their people from a young age – which I think is really lucky. For me, as I was still finding myself, the people I met at university are the ones that have become my forever friends.
As a life lesson, it’s important to note that friendships aren’t always going to last. There will be some friendships that are there when you need them, some will be there for brief interludes and others will be a constant friendship that lasts forever.
We didn’t learn much about life itself
As far as education goes, beyond the curriculum itself, we didn’t learn a lot about life itself. From managing your finances, knowing how to get a mortgage, or understanding our sexual health, were all self-taught. I think if we were given more insight into how to navigate life itself, we’d all be a lot better at it.
For example, managing money was something that my mum actually taught me through her own experiences and taught me that saving was valuable.
Not everyone is going to fit the school curriculum mould
It’s important to remember that you or your children aren’t always going to fit the mould of the school curriculum. Some children won’t find the school curriculum to benefit them and they may go into a career that’s different to anything they study in school. That’s ok! I went to school studying a variety of subjects, did drama at college and university and I’m now a freelance writer/blogger. Life is a journey of lessons and understanding where you fit into life itself.
What lessons did you learn at school beyond just education? Let me know in the comments below.
*Disclaimer – This is a collaborative post. All words are my own.
