Cary, North Carolina, U.S.A. – Going back to school is always a nerve-wracking experience, whether it’s a new school, or just a new grade.
Listen to the author read this article:
Starting high school can be stressful. For me, the hardest part was the third class of the day: Spanish. I was taking the class two levels ahead of where freshmen usually are.
Not only was the content much more difficult, there was not a single person from my grade in the class, and only four people from the grade above mine.
This meant that I went to class every day, and the majority of the students were three to four years older than me.
It’s not a very common experience at my school, but any teenager who is forced to be around peers with that much of an age gap can attest to it being awkward at the very least.
My peers had been at the school much longer than I and knew the way things worked there.
Freshly out of middle school, I was surrounded by hundreds of students older (and taller) than me.
If you find yourself in a similar predicament, my best piece of advice would be to own it.
You can’t necessarily change the situation you’re in. You were placed in the class for one reason: to learn.
It took me the entire term to realize that no one cared as much as I did.
While I was hyper-focused on how others would perceive me and catching up on content, my peers were focused on trying to get good grades.
I avoided interacting with the people at my table, which led me to not feel part of the class. If I could go back, I would stop worrying so much about how I’m younger and start concentrating on my studies.
When you start talking to your fellow students and put age aside, you’ll realize that everyone around you is just another teenager, surviving school. I found that it’s not as hard to make friends and break out of the awkward shell of age as I thought it was.
Lastly, don’t take for granted your time there. I spent so much time complaining about the class, even when I was out of it, that I wasn’t able to fully enjoy the rest of my classes from that term.
Your first year at a new school is exciting, so don’t spend it complaining.
Make the best of situations and make as many fun memories as you can.
Riona Richard is a Junior Reporter with Youth Journalism International.
