my newspaper article

In every teenager’s life today, whether they are in school or not, poor or rich, they face the big S word - Stress. Girls my age are generally stressed about things like schoolwork, family relationships and what other people think of them. I know that I personally stress about each and every one of those things.

 I feel that compared to the past, most school-pupils are loaded with more and more homework, tests and the workload is constantly increasing. As at my school (Our Lady of Fatima) there are a lot of appealing extra-murals offered, students often find it hard to finish all their homework etc. I personally have an extramural every single day of the week and don't have a lot of time outside of school to just chill, and it’s not because the homework is difficult, or even because each teacher gives a lot, but because every teacher gives a bit.

Every teen also deals with family stress, and I know at my age, there are a lot of hormones flowing around, which leads to lots of tension in the home environment. Then there’s what people think of you. This is a hard age because everything that you do gets judged. You have to wear the right clothes, say the right things, get good grades-but not so good that you're a nerd-associate with the right people, be on her side, be on his side, be neutral, and if you don't-well you're not cool. And teens my age, especially girls, care about being cool.

I have a long history in school and things, but the long and short of it is about two years ago, I was diagnosed as “gifted” which changed everything.

1. Have you encountered bullying? If yes, how did you deal with it?

I wouldn’t call it bullying, per se, but when I was in junior school, I was never the “cool kid” and was always an outcast of sorts at school and I was never part of the popular crowd, and at some points, I wasn’t even part of any crowd. I spent a lot of breaks in the library, reading, and therefore inducing further bullying, as because I read, I was a nerd. Eventually I moved schools.

2. You were in two very different schools; what was it like in each? It must have been very different.

In my school career so far, I've been to 6 different schools, so I was quite used to the moving around between schools. At my school preceding Fatima, I was at a school for gifted pupils, and this was different from mainstream schools in that we could all work at our own pace, and that everyone around me was also gifted. I moved to Fatima because my mom no longer wanted me boarding, and Fatima is very different being a convent mainstream school. Also, I had to move from a class of predominantly boys to a girl- only school, which took a while to adjust to. Each school has its unique challenges and difficulties, but I've thoroughly enjoyed experiences at both and I'm grateful I've been given the opportunity to experience both.

3. What are your thoughts on kids who go out drinking and partying during their teen years?

I personally try not to judge people, and if they want to go out drinking and partying that's their own personal choice, it’s their life and they can do what they want with it. In my eyes, it does however become a problem when they start lying, whether it be to their parents, or about their age or whatever. Also, if they go out now and experience clubs and drinking, what do they have to look forward to?