-at your 10 year reunion, you’ll be surprised to see that the most popular people in high school are not necessarily the ones who have gone on to lead the most succesful and interesting lives. Be friends with some of the “nerds” now – you’ll be glad later!
-the pressure to get good grades is less important than the need to pursue your intellectual and creative curiousity. learn the things you want to learn. Some of those will be outside of the school building.
-Do your homework but don’t be afraid to question the things you read in textbooks.
-If you’re ever too drunk to get home, call your parents, even if it means you’ll get grounded. Grounded is better than getting in a car accident or waking up in a stranger’s bed.
-If you live in a city, at some point during your four years, take a day where you “play hooky” to do some really interesting learning experience outside of the classroom – like going to a museum…it will remind you to take your education into your own hands.
-if you get really frustrated by your parents and want to change their minds about some disciplinary thing – take a deep breath, get some distance so you can think about it, and then talk with them once you’ve thought through your points. They will react much better if you have a calm discussion with them about it – you may even win them over to your side. but it’s practically impossible to win in a yelling match with parents.
-I think it was Mark Twain who said “When I was 13 I realized my father was a complete fool. By the time I turned 23 I was shocked to see how much he had learned in just 10 years.”
-have fun!