`Of course we always hear from our teachers and our parents about “back in the day,” but it’d be a lot easier if they just realized 10 simple things about us first.  Rather than talking to us about how we feel about things, the school board is cutting our classes and laying off our teachers.  Our teachers continue to assign homework non-stop while our parents pile on more expectations or chores, so it’s kind of hard to catch a break sometime.

1. School Board: We cannot be forced to go to college! I’m a true believer in self-motivation.  If students don’t want to work to improve the academic track they’re on then that’s their own problem.  Even those who remain in the lower level academic classes could be trying their best, so shoving students that aren’t capable or willing to be in higher level classes will just hurt their GPAs and therefore their chances to go college, so it’s not really helping anyone (especially when it results in taking teachers we love).
2. Fun classes (like the ones the School Board insists on cutting) actually teach us a lot. Electives are based off of potential career paths as far as I’ve realized.  Interior Design, Teaching (Child Development), Business, and Web Design are all potential career paths.  If the Board thinks they’re doing us a service by cutting these classes then they’re wrong.  Maybe it’ll cut a few costs or make us focus on core subjects that will “get us into college,” but once we’re actually in college what do they expect us to do?
3. We need to make our own mistakes, not preached at. Yes, we are young.  Yes, we are naïve.  No, we are not stupid.  Preaching at us about what to do or how to do it won’t ever actually teach us anything.  Letting us try and fail will.  Otherwise, if we’re just shepherded around like docile sheep, then we won’t know how to survive once we’re on our own.  When we make mistakes, we learn lessons from it…even if we have to make the same mistakes a few times first.
4. We’ll work harder when we’re interested. If the class or the curriculum is a little fun or different then it’s actually interesting.  If it’s interesting, we’re more likely to participate or put out an effort.  If every single class is a worksheet or a lecture, it gets boring.  Once it’s boring, we seriously dread class and just pray for the bell to ring after we’ve gotten there.
5. We have more than one class. Teachers sometimes need to remember that we’re in multiple classes; not just theirs.  Personally, I’m in classes from Early Bird to ninth period, and I don’t even have a lunch or study hall.  (Unless you count homeroom lunch, but I’ve only gone into the cafeteria like twice since school started.)  It’s a lot of work and I think teachers sometimes forget that we have so much going on with other classes or jobs or personal events.  So, sometimes it would be nice if they cut us some slack and gave us, oh, maybe a day without homework?
6. We have just as much going on as you (if not more). We’re held to high expectations such as getting good grades, staying out of trouble, working at our jobs (some of us), adjusting to high school (freshman), getting our licenses (sophomores), scoring well on ACTs (juniors), getting into college (seniors).  In other words, we not only work at school (just like parents), but we work jobs as well or have a lot of other things going on besides sitting through class and chatting with friends.
7. We need a little help when we mess up. So, we want independence, but we aren’t capable of handling everything.  In other words, when we take on too much or make the wrong choice, we’ll really appreciate your help fixing our mistakes.
8. When our homework counts for points, then we’ll probably do it. I think it’s kind of common sense that students will do homework when there is a grade.  When there aren’t any points, then it’s like saying “no homework” to the majority of students.  Plus, it really improves grades not because the homework adds points but because actually doing the homework causes us to learn the curriculum and therefore score better on tests.
9. We procrastinate. We might have two weeks to work on an assignment, but most of us won’t start until the day before it’s actually due.
10. We love sleep. People function better when they’ve had enough sleep.  There’s no doubt about it, so Late Starts are amazing.  I’ve noticed that classes on Late Starts always seem to be more productive, even though they’re a bit shorter than usual.

Did I miss anything?  If I did comment below to let me know!