If you've ever been to high school

If you've ever been to high school, you know that certain things are bound to happen. As you get older you'll find that everyone had these experiences. They seem to be part of the structure and function of the average public high school - they will happen simply because the high school exists.

Teachers will blame you for things you didn't do wrong. The bad kids will get away with obvious rule violations. Teachers will give you more homework than you have time to do, and then when you turn it all in they won't bother to grade it or give it back to you. All the rules seem centered on making sure you don't have any fun, and the only give lunch duty to the meanest teachers. Kids will complain about their parents and make plans to move away from home (some are more serious than others). As soon as you get a job and a car you start seeing the feasability of blowing off the old folks and living life your own way. The smartest kids will always stress about their grades (the one thing they're good at) and 90% of the people involved in any clique are faking it in an attempt to impress the others (goths, jocks, nerds, pretty girls, and yes even band geeks). Boys will chase girls, girls will run from boys, and when they finally get together, their relationships will be petty, immature, and eventually ruined by real or imagined infidelity on both parts. But they will always have "their song" - some pop radio hit that was playing when they made out in the car one time.

Now. Please stop stressing like your problems are unique. Please stop asking "why me?" just like every other high school student ever. And Please someone stop making movies about the above phenomena. And tomorrow, I will tell you why none of these problems are really problems - because I've seen high school from the other side but just for one year - as fresh and as close to my own experience of these problems as I can be - but a light of sudden clarity has shown me some interesting paradoxes of high school. Tomorrow you will see things from the other side.