Growing up you see tons of movies that portray high school as this amazing thing that brings you many friends, fun, and a lifetime experience. Our overall exposure to high school is practically perfect. High school is supposed to last a long time and be the best years that you can experience. But in reality, high school is nothing like the movies. It is messy, stressful, and extremely difficult. 

     People try to make it seem like it is a breeze and that it will be our happiest times. While we might look back when we are older and believe that, right now it is only tearing us apart. Movies show us that we never have homework, can go out on school nights, and that high school is a time for you to experience your life. But in realness, it is all overwhelming amounts of homework, late-night study sessions, and after school jobs. 

     As a teen, we are all struggling with internal problems on our own. People do not know what we are going through, let alone really care. Movies and TV shows tell us that we are bound to have many friends who are there for emotional support, and even if we have some bumps in the road we will always find our way back to them. But what happens when we are left with no one or only a few close people? We feel alone. Movies tell us that we are going to be just fine and our “besties” have always got our backs, but when they actually don’t, we fall apart. 

      High school gives us a lot of growing room and the ability to mature within ourselves, but they shape us in some bad ways. Sometimes we grow up too fast and don’t get to be a kid as long as we should. This isn’t High School Musical and we do not get to break out in song and dance and act like our lives are at school.

     Jocks aren’t all stuck up and into themselves, not all cheerleaders are dumb and blonde, band kids aren’t always nerds, and there isn’t always cliques. While some of those things can exist, they are not the majority of what high school is about. Media portrays people to be set to a certain stereotype, which is not what kids are defined by. Especially now, being in high school, we all have our flaws and little weird things that make us who we are. 

      We are all growing up and in awkward phases and stages of our life that make high school almost even worse than it really is. While this sucks, it is just the reality of life. We have to go through these things to make us into who we are becoming. High school might give us a false sense of reality, but at least it gives us something to look forward to, even if it isn’t how it really is.