High school is, as it has always and will continue to be, a unique experience. But high school today is unique not only for the individual, but in the distinct historical situation it has been placed in. Most high school students have experienced the pandemic, along with the various social and political changes of the 21st century, but they have caused distinct consequences for this new generation.
From the pandemic, we lost our ability to learn in schools, something which negatively affected the majority of students and is shown in the dropped test scores present across the country. While this most severely harmed low-income public schools, it would be shortsighted to say that was the only group affected, with many people feeling similar consequences. The drop in these sorts of scores is not an epidemic of laziness, but the consequences of having to take a break from formal learning and rely near entirely on yourself, a new pressure on students which many have still not recovered from. It’s easy to say that this is the first living generation to experience the pandemic in High School, but being given the challenge of redirecting your own learning in a post-pandemic age adds a challenge to today’s students, which many continue to feel the consequences of.
Another part of what makes school unique is the widespread political and social changes, many of which directly affect schools. A popular example of this includes book bans, an attempt to censor information within schools, with the goal being to prevent learning about certain topics. Other examples include the reduction of public school funding, which takes away from the resources which schools have to teach with. While reactions from the public on these issue may vary, many students agree that these measures severely harm their ability to learn effectively. Being in schools during these changes is an unexpected experience, having been put between so many outside forces that you can’t even seem to keep track. Many students are keenly aware of these changes, while others shrug it off and move on without much thought. But, no matter the student, it has an effect on how well we learn and are able to interact with the world waiting for us.
Trying to succeed as a student in this new generation of learning is a unique experience. Amid changes to our school system and still trying to recover from the pandemic, students today are challenged on a level many others don’t understand. But, as we have already proven ourselves to do, we will continue to work on confronting it through our personal knowledge and experiences, with the patience we develop during these times.