“The second semester of senior year is the best,” they said … “It’s the easiest part of high school they said.” First day back and I was given 2 month long projects, revisions and completion of an internal assessment before February, preparation for IB testing, AP portfolios, and more. It obviously isn’t as fast as people think, can graduation come any quicker?
It has never been any secret that IB was a rigorous and busy program with most people hating every moment of it. I am no different, I just want to get good grades, graduate, and get outta here. High school is already draining and balancing all of my classes with IB trying to take me out is impossible. I may be a little dramatic but nobody wants to walk into the first day of class after Christmas break to get two summative projects. I already needed a break from the two week break.
IB has notoriously been annoying for every student at North Atlanta High School, just yesterday I saw a friend post about the excessive homework and projects due for just our history class. It feels less like college preparation and more like me fighting for my life just to look a little more appealing on applications. There’s little room to breathe when you’re flooding in IB work and simultaneously being worried about senior deadlines and College meetings. College at least comes with the freedom of choice and breaks that actually feel like breaks. It’s hard to know when I’m going to finish versus when I’m going to burnout.
What makes it even worse is the expectation that we’re supposed to smile, nod, and “push through” like this is totally normal. Seniors aren’t counting lessons anymore… we’re counting days, hours, and caffeine intake. Motivation has been replaced by pure survival instinct. I don’t wanna feel like a victim every time I open Google Classroom. At this point, walking across the graduation stage won’t feel like an achievement, it’ll feel like being released (which is quite literally the bane of my existence at the moment).
Enjoying these last moments is a little difficult when I’m swamped with homework every day and night. It’s pretty ironic that we’re supposed to be preparing for college with the advanced classes but most college classes aren’t nearly as difficult. If you need me, I’ll be staring at the clock, whispering motivational speeches to myself, and praying the tassel hits my cap before IB hits me with another deadline. I’m literally begging for my teachers to free me from the shackles but I am not concerned that I’ll have fun this year regardless.
IB Blues: Senior Isabella De Leon said she’s counting down the days until she graduates.
