“Clear your desk, and take out a piece of paper. We’re taking the test,” the teacher says. As students throw everything in their bags and take out a pencil, a couple people turn to the person next to them and whisper something to them.

Chances are, they’re asking to borrow a writing utensil. And probably paper.

It’s kind of hard to imagine students without their basic necessities such as a writing utensil and paper. How do they get through the day?

Imagine a lumberjack without his axe. What is he going to cut? Or, an orchestra without their instruments.

And sometimes, there’s those that come to school with a backpack full of assignments and random items. But no pencil.

But because most of the students are nice, they’ll let them borrow a cute pencil that they got while overseas. And maybe even gift needy people with a stack of paper.

Tests generally last the entire class period, with some students working until the bell rings. The bell signals the start of a frenzy. Students scramble out the door, often forgetting that they borrowed something.

Worst of all, some people take advantage of kind hearts and just take off with their school supplies.

The students that spend their own money on school supplies shouldn’t be taken advantage of. When this happens, those kind-hearted students are less willing to become the victim of theft again, even if the person asking is the most responsible person in the school. Regardless of who asks, they probably won’t give up one of their pencils so easily again.

High school is meant to prepare young adolescents for the outside world. Not everything is going to be prepared specifically for one person.

That might the case for elementary or even middle school students, but it’s apparent in the rigorous high school environment that no one is going to receive any special treatment. Every student has the same responsibilities, from maintaining grades to keeping up with extracurricular activities such as sports or fine arts.

These rigid responsibilities train students on a daily basis, because school is essentially a student’s career, requiring the energy and focus that a real job would.

When students choose not to embrace those responsibilities and take advantage of others to do their work or take their things, it only encourages dependency. It doesn’t help them prepare for the outside world.

Independence is a trait that all businesses and firms search for in an employee. Without a sense of independence, they cannot trust their subordinates to get work done.

Students should think about their actions and behaviors now and how they affect their future behaviors. Things that become a habit now, like constantly borrowing others’ things, can become an irreversible nature later on.