Before I went to Premier High School, I wasn’t sure exactly how I was supposed to graduate because late 2020 was pretty hard on my academics. Now that I’m here, though, I have basically guaranteed the path I wanted to take to get my diploma.
Premier High School school is surprisingly more organized than other schools I’ve been to. The teachers make sure you know exactly what you need to do to graduate instead of just telling you what you need to do then, and not knowing what you need to do later on. At this school, once you complete a class, you move on to the next one, no matter what grade level that class belongs to, so this system is very effective.
I’m in school during the afternoon session; you might think that means I’m in class until after dark, but I’m only here for four hours a day. That may not seem like much, but Premier HS is almost completely self-paced. I’ve gotten more done in one class a day than I have in five classes since I don’t have to rely on a teacher’s pace. I’m able to work faster in the classes I understand and take my time on the ones I don’t. However, that doesn’t mean there are no teachers here if I ever need help. Every teacher here has different skills, so at least one of them can help me with just about anything I need.
Of course, these are just my experiences; what about others? I can’t speak for everyone, but there are a few students who have done so much more than I have. They’ve done a semester’s worth of classes in under half the time. At first, a couple of them were just as behind in school as I was. Now, some of these students are going to graduate faster than they were in a traditional high school. Although this school is easier for me than public school, it still takes time, work, and self-discipline to get to this point.
Speaking of self-discipline, there’s a quote that Mrs. White says here: “Make good choices.” At first, I didn’t take that to heart, but the more she said it, the more I thought about what she meant. Every choice you make has a consequence, whether it be positive or negative. The reason she says this every day is because everyday matters, even if it doesn’t feel like it does. But it goes much deeper than that; you have to make the most out of every situation your choice puts you in. If you find yourself making a decision you regret, it’s better to do something rather than nothing. That “something” is also a choice you make. If it doesn’t feel like it made a difference today, do not forget that tomorrow is all the more impactful.
If there’s one choice I’ll never regret making, it’s enrolling in the best school I believe there is to help with graduating. It might not be the rose-colored path that was planned for me, but I chose to make the most of my new choice.
-Lydia P. Custer, Premier High School Student
___________________________
P.S. from Mrs. Custer:
*I would love to thank everyone who helped to make this possible. Mrs. White, Mrs. McCartney, and Mrs. Allen all had a big role in making this as great as it turned out to be. I couldn’t have done this without you all. <3″
