School life

Today is my final day of elementary school. I am sitting in the basement of my school at a table with the rest of my class. The basement is cleaner than usual but it’s still obvious no one has swept. The stage is cleared off for the faculty and students to speak on which is usually only used for talent shows and plays. In total there are eight of us but two are yet to show up. We worry they received the wrong directions so we call them to try and guide them to the right building. After they arrive the ceremony begins. Thankfully it is quiet, no unreasonable loud noises, and a fairly small crowd. The principal gives a speech about her pride in us for graduating while my classmates and I just sit anxiously waiting for it to all be over. We have each been waiting nine years to finish our education here, and though it’s sad that it’s all over we are still eager to leave.

Once the principal finishes her speech our 6th-grade teacher walks up to give his speech. He has an actually enjoyable speech as he proceeds to tell stories of us throughout the year, giving us a chance to reminisce about the good times we had before leaving. I look at my current class happy that we all made it through together for nine years, but at the same time sad at how many people are missing from this scene. There had to have been at least fifty different people in my class throughout my years at this school, and only eight managed to remain. The teacher ends his speech and the eight of us line up to receive our diplomas. We all thank the principal, and with that, both the ceremony and my time at this school are over. We go to our families and leave, ready to enjoy our summer before transferring to a new school.

Today was my very first day at my new school. After three months of anxiety, I had finally arrived at my new school where I will have to spend five days a week for the next six years. I had been stressing out over this moment all summer, and it took facing it head on to realize I simply was not ready for this change. Unlike my former classmates from sixth grade who were going to school with each other at different schools, I was completely alone. Not a single person from my class went to the same school as I did, and everyone who I ever knew personally was in a different grade. I walked into the building already terrified of what was to come, and even though I was prepared for the worst I was not ready at all for reality. It was so much harder than I anticipated. In the homeroom alone, I felt like the biggest outcast in the room. Everyone was divided into groups talking to each other while I had no one, there wasn’t even a place I could sit. I just stood around waiting for class to start hoping no one would notice me. 

The bell rang and everyone went to their classes. I quietly shuffled along to my first class to meet my new teachers. They were all nice enough but my class wasn’t the most inviting. No one bothered me thankfully, but they were all incredibly energetic and didn’t display the “Model Student” behavior my old school had been influencing us. While my old classmates were quiet and behaved, these new students acted disrespectfully and simply didn’t care about their actions. In all honesty, I didn’t disapprove of this new behavior, in time I might even consider it entertaining. However, it’s still a great adjustment that will take getting used to. It was the longest school day of my life but I have no choice but to get used to it, even though it seems the next six years of my life will be utter despair.

The day is almost over and I realize something and pick up my head. I look around at my class and notice that I am no longer uncomfortable or shy in this school anymore. I’m in eighth grade and I’ve already been here for over a year now. Of course, I feel comfortable around my classmates, they’re no longer new to me. I can no longer consider myself the new kid, especially now that there’s someone who joined only a month ago. My class is quiet today and the sun is beautifully shining a dim light through the window. My teacher is waiting for the day to end and let us wait out the rest of the period. I feel calm and at peace with the life I now live at this school. I turn to the person sitting next to me, amazed at how this person is someone I genuinely know as a friend. I have gotten used to my school as well as my classmates. I now find their behavior amusing rather than a nuisance, and the days don’t feel like eternities. I already have one year finished and I feel great about my new school. The remaining five shouldn’t be a problem in any regard.