The High School Years

The high school years of the student’s life last from grade nine the first year of high school through to the graduation at grade twelve. Because students graduate from high school in the year of their eighteenth birthday they have already become young adults on the day of their graduation, the experience they have had through school can have a long and lasting effect on their lives and on their future development and social position in their chosen environment. The experience of going to high school can be exciting, exhilarating and even a frightening one. The change from child to young adulthood can be a confusing and traumatic time for most of us and for some students being in a new school can add to that stressful feeling of growing up and trying to fit in new surroundings.

It can be a daunting time in a young persons life and can be some of the best or worst years of their lives depending on circumstance and adaptation of the individual. It is not always under their control to be accepted into this society of budding academics, sports people and future builders of our countries but the need to fit in is a powerful instinct.

All students need to feel that they belong to something, to be apart of the their school community and not just another nameless face, they need to know that they are both accepted and respected by their peers and their teachers alike. For some students this will be an easy transition and an automatic process, their future in high school will be relatively trouble free giving them a happy experience to look back on and a good start to the next phase in their lives, while for others it will be hard work and a constant battle to be apart of the education system and the social circles, for some it will never happen they will always feel left out or alone and will never feel that their contribution was acknowledged or even noticed.

Everyone has the right to an education and no one should let this right be hindered by school or social dictation or policy, every student should be able to feel accepted and an important part of the school community no matter their position or social standing.

The students who feel left out of this high school culture will have a feeling of rejection or alienation can and quite often display distinct behavioral problems and will have a lower interest and achievement record in the school. The students who feel they belong seem to have higher academic achievements and have the tendency to participate in more activities in and out of the school arena and are more willing to push forward their education to college level. The acceptance from peers and the support from teachers can be paramount in developing a healthy school experience and a successful academic achievement record. We all need to feel that we are not alone and that we can be apart of the school and the student body.
In a typical high school approximately eighty to ninety percent of students graduate, this figure can drop significantly in some cites to as low as fifty percent. Some students may attend high school past the age of eighteen if they have failed a grade and need to redo that part of the process. For those wishing to further their education at college or university usually require a high school diploma for acceptance.

The basic curricular structure of high school is a broad variety of subjects without special emphasis on any one. Through the different states the curriculum varies in the quality and rigidity of courses but basically the areas to be covered are English, Mathematics, Science and Social Science. Included within most high schools are Physical Education and Drivers Education and the Gifted Education classes or Honors Classes for students who show they have a tendency to perform above the other students level.