To most children’s dismay, August has finally arrived, meaning grades, homework and teachers are only a few days away.

The daily routine of begrudgingly waking up in the morning pushes students into the mindset of “what’s the point?”

This way of thought causes students to ignore teachers’ instructions and disregard the classwork given to them. 

While in grade school, I would sometimes falter into that mindset as well. Though I respected all my teachers, I would sometimes wonder, “what’s the point of school work?”

I dreaded spending seven hours of learning about things that may or may not benefit me in the future.

But instead of constantly moping about attending something that’s unavoidable, I developed a drive to be great in what was inescapable.

It seems that currently, students would rather be on their phones and talking to their friends instead of learning and passing a test. Though, which one benefits the most in the future?

Sure, it may be fun to talk to friends about who got suspended or what plans are there for the weekend, but, I assure you there’s more fun in getting passing grades that will eventually lead into getting a high paying job or career.

It’s important to always remain positive and surpass the sky’s limit.

I constantly push myself to do better than yesterday and surround myself with people who share a similar drive. We all have goals on top of goals and sometimes must bite the bullet on things we find to be unnecessary.

During my time at The Selma Times-Journal, I have met many people who aren’t afraid of being smart and are thrilled for the school year to resume once again.

This way of thought should be widespread because it benefits both students and teachers.

I know that if more youths adopted this optimistic thinking, everyday conversations at school will change from, “who got in a fight?” to “who received that scholarship?”

Derrick Thomas is an intern at The Selma Times-Journal.