High School Critique Essay
High school is the time in our lives to begin exploring options and figure out who we are as individuals, and where we want to go. It is a pathway that guides us to whatever our future holds, but it is also full of commotion, which would transform the slightest bit of misunderstanding into arguments and violence. I recall a classmate of mine transferring school due to a fallacious rumor of him stealing. There was no proof; just words from people who “claim” they believe it were him.
Far too many bad things could happen in high school, and they could alter our experiences in negative ways. It wasn’t farfetched to say I was a victim of such calamity. My experience at my current secondary school started off full of excitement. I participated in many different activities and made a great deal of friends, which made me love high school. But there were many quarrels in school, which made life akin to the weather: unpredictable, uncontrollable, and unfair. The defining moment of my sophomore year was a simple misunderstanding that left a deep scar behind.
It was a frosty morning, sending chills down my spine as I walked to school for basketball practice, become an ice cube along the way. When the coach dismissed us to my relief, someone’s phone was missing from the volleyball team which was next door. For privacy reasons I am going to give him the alias “Joe. ” The news did not surprise me, but Joe’s friends wanted to search me, and he went through all my belongings. The shock of someone thinking that I took his phone hit me like a bullet. It left me numb and speechless.
Feeling helpless like a mouse in a trap, I desperately needed someone to be on my side. The word “fair” kept on popping up in my mind, and it sparked an anger that had being building. I sought after the people who wanted to put the blame on me. I had no alibi of me not stealing the phone, but likewise they had no evidence of me stealing the phone either. While walking through the halls, I felt like the walls were following me, watching my every step. Everything was blurry. It felt like I have lost control of who I am.
My ears overheard my name and gossip about me in the halls, and that was when I lost it. My mind erupted and broke open like a broken dam: every bit of emotion started flowing out. My eyes started to water but I tried my best to suppress the tears. The inevitable had happened: I became the new laughingstock of the school. News spread faster than wild fire in an ancient forest. With rumors flooding in excess, my reputation had taken a hit. I was branded “The Thief”. This incident impacted me in ways beyond I would ever imagine. I did not make one jump shot at the subsequent practice.
People were cautious around me. They kept their phone out of my sight and tried to avoid me in the halls; it seemed like that even teachers seemed to treat me differently, although that must’ve been my imagination. I felt sick; I could not eat or sleep. Everything seemed to become more confounded. I had trouble looking people in the eye, and my heart raced every time someone mentioned the word “phone”. I would turn around to see whether they were talking about me. Paranoia, it must’ve been. I avoided the volleyball team at all costs, and I did not talk to my close friends.
It was excruciating to restrain my demons me while wearing a poker face, hoping others cannot see the pain. The week of the incident simply did not go well. Fortunately, after what had seemed like an eternity of torture, Joe finally found his phone in his friends bag. However, he never apologized to me for blind accusation. I didn’t really care; The pain, and suffering was worth more than a simple “sorry”! But everything went back to regular routine and school became exciting once more. Looking back, I really couldn’t blame Joe: he lost an iPhone 4S, the newest and most expensive phone at the time.
It would be hypocritical of me to say that I would not be infuriated if I had lost my iPhone. High school is a pathway which we all must take. The views and experiences may be different but the concept remains the same. In the eye of a student there are very many negative and few positives about high school. The main point is staying out of trouble’s way and avoiding it at all cost, because one simple misunderstanding could cause you years of pain. People may also blame you for things you haven’t done, but the truth is: life is easier when you have someone else to blame.
