Too Much To Handle
I don’t know about the other kids in eighth grade, but for me, the past few weeks have been super chaotic. After three months of having to do nothing, we have to come back to school. Not to say that I don’t like school, but right now, it feels like too much to handle.
During the first week of school, nothing difficult was done. We were merely getting used to the schedule of waking up, catching the bus, doing homework, (which was only signing forms for school at that point). The teachers took that time to explain the rules of that particular classroom to the students.
Teachers Rule: Snacks or No Snacks?
I quickly discovered that while the school has a list of general rules that all of the students has to follow, each individual teacher has a different policy pertaining to different issues. Take snacks for example. One of my teachers allows you to eat any snack, and you don’t even have to ask. Another only allows healthy, non-messy snacks. Some don’t allow snacks at all.
Teachers Have Different Requirements
Classroom supplies is another good example. One of our teachers told us that we need a one subject notebook for her class, while another told us that we needed a three subject notebook. Some classes require a textbook that you need to bring every day, while other textbooks are only to be brought to class if the teacher specifies that you need it the day before. They have different discipline systems, with strikes and penalties and detentions.
I feel bad for the teachers as well as the students. It must get old, telling kids over and over to bring their notebooks and textbooks to class, or explain the snack rule. After all, they aren’t asking much. Only that we remember to bring the supplies and remember the rules for their class. Simple, right? Not exactly.
I agree that one classroom’s rules and requirements aren’t hard to remember, but when you add five more classes to the mix, thing get a little hairy. Schedules get mixed up, pencils get lost, notebooks thrown into lockers with careless abandon. It’s easy for tempers to be lost, both by teachers and students, during the first few weeks of school.
Patience
I think a little patience would go a long way in this situation. Patience from the teachers, for when we forget something for class. Patience from the students, for when teachers are upset with us. Patience from parents, for when kids come home, tired and short tempered.
This morning, my mother caught me on my way out the door. She told me that things were going to get better. School would get easier. The routine would get easier. In some ways, she’s wrong. The work will only get harder, the days only busier, the workload only higher. But really, I know she’s right.
Each Day Is Better
Every day of school is better than the last. Every time I cross the threshold of the school, I remember all the reasons I love going there. I like seeing my friends. I like the feeling of having goals, and something to work toward. School might be hard right now. But I know that it won’t always be this hard to handle. School might be tough, guess what? So am I. See you next week!
“Reprinted from Hagel Publications, Inc. dba as Courier Newspapers”