By June, it becomes clear how quickly the school year has passed as students finally approach the long-awaited summer break. Once final projects and tests are done, we can’t wait to set our eyes upon the school year ahead of us, making sure not to take another glance back at the previous year. In the “end-of-the-year” blur, we rarely take time to pause and look back on past experiences because they no longer seem relevant to us. With final grades already posted and summer plans about to begin, students often believe that it’s more worthwhile to focus on what lies ahead rather than on unchangeable past events. However, we often fail to realize that looking back provides valuable lessons that will guide us later on. Students should therefore make time to reflect on the previous year, specifically on friendships, mistakes, and habits, to promote personal growth in the future.
For many South High students, the numerical value on a transcript is the primary way to summarize the school year. Especially given our school’s competitive culture, it makes sense to think that our grades are the only factor that defines our long-term success. Additionally, we tend to view grades as an easy, quantifiable way to sum up the year. Junior Christa Xu described, “It’s so easy to look at my grades and say ‘I did that’ because it’s immediately visible.” While grades are part of our year’s results, we often overlook the experiences and interactions from the past year that can offer valuable learning opportunities. The year should also be summarized by the friends we’ve met, the struggles we’ve faced, and the skills we’ve developed, not just how well we’ve scored on tests. Through reflection on these meaningful memories, we must ensure that we take each year to learn more about ourselves and grow for the next year.
A large part of the high school experience is meeting new people and finding others who have similar interests or passions. From coordinating a group project to asking for help, we always socialize and work with other students and teachers. Not only are social interactions part of a normal school day, but the ability to communicate and work well with others is essential for future careers. As students, we should take the opportunity now to reflect on what our interactions throughout the year show about us so that we can continue to improve. Which friendships made you feel most supported throughout this year? What did interactions with others teach you about yourself? Personally, I’ve always known that talking to my friends helps to relieve some of the stress and frustration that I’ve experienced throughout the school year. However, I’ve come to realize this year that I also need to be that same person whom they can come to in times of need. I need to strive to be a better listener and more observant of how others may be feeling from day to day. From there, I can continue to develop more empathy and understanding for the people around me. Because I’ve reflected on my interactions with friends, I’ve been able to identify characteristics that I want to work toward in the coming year.
Despite being a difficult task, reflecting on mistakes is another important aspect of the year that demands attention. As humans, we take pride in our achievements and therefore, have a hard time looking back on our moments of struggle because our weaknesses are highlighted. However, a study published in the journal Educational Review found that failure has the potential to be an important part of the learning process if routinely viewed as an opportunity for growth. Whether we review the question we got wrong on the test or ask for help with a difficult topic, if we normalize and accept our mistakes by actively reflecting on them to identify ways to improve, we can turn our failures into valuable learning experiences. For junior Josephine Wong, an injury sustained while running cross country taught her that she often pushes herself too hard. After reflecting and recognizing her negative outlook when she failed to achieve her initial goals, Josephine was able to shift her view of her injury into a newfound motivation to approach future struggles in a positive manner. By stepping out of our comfort zone to look back to our mistakes, we can identify weaknesses that we can build and improve upon.
Reflecting on day-to-day habits allows us to focus on behaviors that would otherwise go unnoticed. Pausing to think about how we manage our time or approach our work can help develop a better awareness of our behaviors and reinforce stronger, more meaningful habits. “One of the biggest things I’ve learned about myself is how frequently I experience burnout,” described Xu. “Burnout leads me to waste that time rather than use it productively. This is a cycle I’m still working on improving, and making weekend schedules is one strategy I’m trying.” Ultimately, her awareness of her cycles of burnout helped her make small changes that could bolster her future productivity. In my experience, reflecting on my study habits helped me realize that I’m more of a visual learner, as I retain information better after watching videos than after simply reading notes. As a result of this realization, I find it easier to study productively due to a shift in my approach to studying. Only when we take the time to understand what we’ve been doing compared to what actually works can we grow.
Our teenage years are a time for personal development and growth into future adults. As a result, we should use each high school year to reflect on our friendships, struggles, and habits to better understand ourselves. If we want to define each year by meaningful learning experiences, start by asking: What did I learn about myself this year that I can carry into next year and beyond?
