4/28 | 2.4.18 | February Writing Challenge

4/28 | February Writing Challenge

4. What do you think is the most important thing for today's kids to learn in school?

We endured multiple trials of standardized tests,
each one even worse than the next,
plummeting self-esteem, increasing anxiety,
but the magic number on paper
mattered more than yourself
ever did,
maybe ever will.
We learned what GPA was necessary
to get into the school of your dreams,
and how your class rank
and superlatives said more
about you than you could ever
say about yourself.
I learned how to survive my first semester of college,
hanging on by my teeth,
leaving bite marks once I finally let go of the girl
I was trying to be.
I never learned how to find myself,
how to walk away from people that caused more harm than good,
how to not allow insecurity to crush my insides and eat me up,
how to say "no" and that it is okay to do so,
how to take care of myself and listen to what I need,
how to set boundaries for those who enjoy skipping lines,
and most importantly,
how to love myself more than I would ever love someone else.