"Friends (I Like School)" by RaeKwonThaChef

I know this may sound strange to a lot of people, and trust me, I’m sure I’ll look back in a week or so and think to myself, “Are you kidding?” but I’ll go ahead and say it anyway; I like school. Now, before anyone has any remarks, let me clarify: I do not like tests! I don’t like writing essays, science fairs, or assigned seats. Did I mention TA? I especially dislike TA. I value school for something that I think we all take for granted; the people who we every day.

AP Chemistry is probably the hardest class I have ever taken. So much information, so many worksheets and practice problems, and an AP Exam that inches closer every day. On Wednesday, I had my fourth chemistry test of the year, and I had been studying since Saturday. On Tuesday, my teacher was hosting an after school review in his classroom, and I felt that it was for my best interests to go. Surround by my fellow AP Chemistry classmates, we went over what would be on the test and what to review. However, throughout the hour and a half discussion, I noticed something. The class was constantly cracking jokes, making fun of each other, and having a great time, despite the huge test tomorrow. I was amazed.

Sitting in my chair during the review, I pondered on this idea. Here we all sit, knowing that we all have homework or practice later (in addition to the huge test tomorrow), yet we are all laughing and having a great time, care free. I was in awe, and then I thought. I thought even though how much we all hated exams and deadlines, we all stayed together because, well, each other. No matter how tough my day has been, no matter what grade is marked in red pen on my test, no matter the few hours of sleep I got the night before, I know there will be someone there to make me smile, to make laugh, to reassure me that everything is going to be alright. It’s something we all take for granted.

Yes, we all know school can sometimes suck, but I feel like we all sometimes forget how much it can rock. Almost all the friendships and relationships we have established between one another have been sparked by those same yellow buses those, the same student pledge, those same damn PRIDE cards. That’s the value in them. This brick building on 700 Bennett Street in Herndon, Virginia, has been the origin of an infinite number of friendships. So many memories have been created here, so many great moments forged into thoughts, so many relationships that will never be forgotten.

So I sat at the desk in AP Chemistry, reminding myself of how a greater number of electrons lead to greater polarizability thus stronger London Dispersion forces, which you know of course, exist in all covalent compounds. But I also reminded myself of the people around me, how much I value them, how much they value me, and how much I’ll miss this classroom in only one and a half more years.