My sixth grade teacher directly told me that I would fail in middle school. In eighth grade, I was told countless times that I would be shocked by how hard I would have to work during my freshmen year at Soldotna High. A few weeks ago, in the first day of a new class I have to take as a senior in high school, I was again subjected to a teacher telling me how college would be so demanding and so much harder than I ever imagined. Now, I would be disappointed if my college experience proved this statement to be wrong, as I wish to be challenged. But I have to wonder, why do teachers (and other adults) feel the need to constantly besiege us with broad generalizations about how hard the future will be? We're constantly told how we'll have to learn so much more than we ever thought; they tell us how we'll have to learn to be harder, faster or stronger if we're going to have a chance at surviving the next step in our lives