Anxiety Personified In Public Schools

AP: Anxiety Personified Americans spend thirteen years of their lives in public school, and throughout those thirteen years, they are exposed to a variety of different ideas and subjects. Some gravitate towards the realm of the humanities, while others choose the world of math and science. I chose the latter. Science is a subject that builds upon itself the more you are exposed to it and it has captivated me for some time. Ever since learning the basics in elementary, science has been my favorite subject. It came easily to me, I barely had to try to achieve good grades. My passion for science had been unwavering, until one class caused me to question everything I previously felt about the subject. I decided to challenge myself and

We thought little about it until one day in April. I was walking into the room with my friends, exchanging meaningless conversation, when I did a double take at the white board. Written in a variety of neon colors, perhaps to shield the blow it would deal, were the words “ALL DAY LAB”. We sat in our seats, the seconds ticking down like hours, and waited for class to start as we glanced at our phones to avoid confronting reality. Soon, my teacher stood up and explained that the six-hour lab would take place that Friday. She handed out the inch thick packet as the bell rang and we were released back into the world. That night I continued with my efforts to break my previous cycle and read the lab thoroughly to prepare myself. Then, Friday came and I would see just how prepared I truly

The room was filled with students displaying a wide spectrum of feelings. Some were confident, some were uncertain and some felt hopeless. The premise of the lab seemed simple, we investigated the formation and separation of complex ions, but there were still doubts in my mind to whether I was prepared for the challenge. Thankfully, I was. The entire six hours were enjoyable. We all walked around wearing our goggles and lab aprons, pouring chemicals into test tubes and watching substances react with one another. All the while Pandora was playing, treating our ears to Katy Perry, Evanescence and Vivaldi, while we worked. By the end of the day the six hours felt very short. Successfully completing the activity made me fall in love with science all over again and this time I knew to put in the hard work I needed to to give science the respect it