Mathew Whitney
Aug 22, 2017 · 2 min read

I found a handful of things really helpful in improving my high school experience:

  • I adjusted the difficulty of my classes. It took twice as much effort to get a B in Honors English as to get an A in College Prep English, and though I gained something from the year of Honors English, it wasn’t worth the effort to continue during the remainder of my high school years. In fact, the only Honors-level courses I stuck with were in Math, but everyone has their own strengths.
  • I took required courses I wanted to get through quickly in the Summer. We had a 2-semester Summer School format which required you to be in school for 4 hours a day (in a single class) for most of the Summer, but significantly changed the way most teachers taught the subjects, especially History.
  • I filled my electives with subjects I enjoyed. I also asked around about the teachers who taught these classes to avoid negative experiences, where possible.
  • Once I had safely established that I would surpass the requirements for graduation and those for entry into college, I reduced the number of classes I was taking to the minimum. While I didn’t always make the best use of the extra time, it reduced the stress for the time I was there, reduced the workload, and increased the amount of time I had to complete homework and projects.

The first two years of high school were certainly the most difficult. You have more required courses in your schedule and a full load of work from most of them. It does get easier, though, and the right teachers can make all the difference in the world.

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