Hey there!
I realize that it's summer so I shouldn't be writing about school. Unfortunately, my summer is basically over. I have two more weeks of just hanging out, and then the summer band starts. I'm not complaining, but the premature end to long days with nothing to do forces me to begin thinking about school early. A few weeks ago I wrote about the negative side of the pressure in school. Today I'll be telling you the flip side of those negatives.
I have very intelligent friends. I, being very competitive, strive to be at their level and maintain the same grades as them. The school we go to is comprised of a bunch of geniuses. I would guess that 40% of my class has a GPA of 3.7 or higher. I would even go as far as saying that at least 20% of my class has a 4.0 or higher. When you're surrounded by excellence you automatically strive for excellence. The people and culture you are surrounded by shape the way that you think and act.
In this case, it's good. If you go to a school that you must have a GPA around a 4.3 to just be in the top 10%, you will feel pressure to maintain high grades. This can be good in that it forces you to focus on academics and striving to learn more. But school is hard for some people, including me. When I feel this pressure it stresses me out. You have to remember that God wants us to be motivated and hard-working. But we are all designed differently. We all have different strengths and weaknesses. God calls us to try our best in order to glorify Him and reflect him.
For some people, this may mean studying for a test and making a C, and for others, it may mean not studying and still making an A. It's important to realize that your actions reflect what you believe. If you put in all of your efforts and still don't get the grade you hoped for you have to realize that you couldn't have done anything else.
Last year I took an AP class that was the most challenging course I've ever taken. I remember doing my group retest and then asking my teacher what I got originally. He said, "a 67." My jaw dropped. He looked at me straight in the eye and said, "What? That's good!" In front of the entire class, I yelled back "Coach that's not good, that's failing!" I was so upset. I went back to my desk and just pouted. I had studied so hard for that test. I worked so hard for that class and somehow managed to end up with a 93, but at the time I was so frustrated.
I knew that I wanted to do better than a 67 in HuGAP. So I started studying weeks in advance. I would read every chapter twice, I would attend every tutoring session that I could, and I asked all of my friends for their notes so I could add to mine. I worked so hard so that I would be better. The pressure we feel in school can very easily be bad, but it can also be good. I pray that whenever school starts for you, you allow the pressure to push you to do your best. The best you can do does not have to measure up to the best of someone else. Someone else's success is not your failure. Remember that we are called to work hard and we will be rewarded for that.
Praying,
Addison Wimbish
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