Re: hmm....birthdays...

Emily Friedman (bananafish_9@yahoo.com)
Sun, 07 Feb 1999 15:17:09 -0800 (PST) 

> Well, I think I'm qualified to comment here since I am 16.  No, it
isn't the
> greatest time of my life.  I go to school at 7 in the morning.  I
leave school
> in the evening between 5 and 9 (I think that's 17-21 o'clock for our
overseas
> members).  And no, I don't get paid to put in a 14 hour day.  You
see, we've
> been brainwashed that if you don't have several hours of
extracurricular
> activities, then even a student that has higher than a 4.0 average
won't get
> into college.  I'll admit, I am a bad example to represent all
students, but
> we all live in the same world.  We have no free time, and what
little time we
> do have when we get home is dedicated to hours of homework.  And
teachers have
> the audacity to ask me why I almost fall asleep in class.
> 
> Oh, but it doesn't end there.
> 
> Knowing that I want to pursue a career in writing, I have come to
understand
> that I need to get a jumpstart on my future more than most other
careers in
> order to at least survive in the world.  And thus, those wee hours
in the
> morning when I can't get to sleep are devoted to writing.  For the
time being,
> it's a good therapeutic solution to not having anyone there to listen.
> Personally, I thought schools had guidance counselors for this type
of thing,
> but when your school which is in excess of 2000 students, 5 ladies
sitting
> behind a desk don't help much.  (Oh, and did I mention that my
school capacity
> was built for only 700 students?  Oh yes, the marvel of
overcrowding.  It's a
> great way to learn about the real world.)
> 
> There is no way for me to know how you guys will receive this
letter.  Perhaps
> you will believe I am an over-achieving student, or perhaps the common
> description of teenage manic-depression will be noted in a follow-up
post.
> But let me clear that up.
> 
> Yes, I am a teenager.  Yes, I over-react.  And yes, I do think that
the age of
> 16 is terrible.  But, you know what?  I don't see any of that.  I
don't care
> about any of that.  And reality, no matter how much I can internally
change
> it, won't change for me.  Life goes on.
> 
> Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da.
> 
> Mike
> 
> (psychoanalize that one for yourselves)
> 
What kind of school do you go to? I never heard anyone say that
colleges will only take students with 4.0s and tons of extracurricular
activities. That's absurd. The only reason why I consider 16 to be a
pretty bad age is because it is boring and very stifiling. It is hard
for me to take your post seriously, although I do appreciate your
Beatles reference. 
-Liz Friedman

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