High School Isn’t All That Scary, Trust Me.
Hi, my name is Layla Quemada. (Don’t worry if you can’t pronounce my last name right.) If you’re reading this, you’re probably sitting in a high school chair. At your high school table. In a huge high school.
Okay okay, I’m probably scaring you. Well, don’t be scared! Because high school may be scary at first, like how it was for me, but don’t worry. You’ll have counselors, teachers, friends, and family to help you through your high school adventure. It’s gonna be filled with opportunities and wonderful people. I’m going to give you some dos and don’ts that will help you along the way.
First, let’s start with high school friendships. This one is an important one for your social life. Many people are going to tell you: friends come and go. And they’re right. The friends you came to high school with and thought that they were gonna stay with you forever, might not happen. However, you’re gonna meet tons of new and wonderful people! And sure some people might be mean, but those people won’t matter because they’re not gonna be there later in your life. Those people can be brushed aside. (But if they start bullying you and punking you around, please tell a trusted adult about the situation you won’t be snitching, you’ll be protecting yourself, trust me I’ve been there.) However, you want to keep caring and funny and loving friends by your side. Try finding those people and your high school experience will be fun and exciting. Make people want to hang around with you. Don’t be a know it all, you know?
Now we can talk about the school side of high school. When you first get to school, you’re gonna see a lot of people. Don’t be afraid though. Just try to have some confidence (I’m not asking for much). Now when walking into the big gates try to find signs and adults. This sounds weird now but you’ll thank me later. There are going to be lines of people waiting to get their schedules. This schedule is going to be your best bud throughout your high school years. Memorize the classroom numbers, and the teacher’s names. Also, the classroom numbers are going to be really confusing so here’s a huge tip for that: The 100 rooms are on the first floor, the 200 rooms are on the second floor, the PE area/locker room is at the far end of the school (when you see the big gates, you’ll know what I mean.) And the art building is in the front of the school. There are also big signs everywhere to help you with finding your class. And after a few weeks, you’ll know the school like the back of your hand.
Now homework. This one goes out to all the dumb freshman (you’ll know what that means later). When you first get to any of your classes, you’ll get a syllabus. This is a fancy word for an outline of the subjects in a course of study or teaching. This syllabus will explain what you need to do to get a good grade in high school: what work you will be doing, how you need to do it etc. And you’re probably thinking: oh, well, I’ll just do half of the work and still get a good grade. And that’s where you are completely wrong. In high school, some teachers consider a C or sometimes even a B a failing grade, so make sure you get all your sh*t together or you are just gonna fail and be a freshman forever. That would be a horrible way to start off high school. And if you’re wondering: Well how do I get a good grade, it’s going to be so hard. Well, you can have study groups with friends in the library and take any opportunity that your teachers give you for tutoring or extra credit. Trust me, you’re gonna need it.
A few more dos and don’ts. Do all your work. At least try to put some effort into doing your work and if you struggle, ask the teacher or your friends. Do try to get into a sport or an activity at school. You’re not gonna seem lame trust me. Do change into your PE clothes ok? No matter the weather, just do it. Do school activities with your friends. Make memories with them. There are so many more, but you’ll have to discover some things on your own.
Now the don’ts. Don’t buy weed or drugs from random people at school. Don’t rush into a relationship. Don’t keep toxic friends around. Don’t be rude to teachers. Don’t be mean to others. You are all going through the same stuff.
Oh, and one last thing, have fun.
