From Summer to School
The worst terror of a kid’s life is seeing back-to-school commercials in late July. But what about when that first day of school rolls around? Switching from a summer schedule and getting back into the rhythm of school can be extremely hard for some people.
One of the worst parts of the transition is waking up early. During the summer, it’s normal to go to bed sometime around 2 a.m. and then wake up around 11 a.m. By August, I’ve forgotten what the early morning looks like. I’ve forgotten what it’s like to have to get up, get out of the house, and then somehow be ready to function before noon. My eyes burn and my head hurts, and before I know it, I’m stuck in math analysis.
Another part that is horrible is the realization that I can’t just do what I want every second of the day. During the summer, if I want to watch TV, I do. If I want to hang out with friends, I do. But now, being stuck in school for six or seven hours a day makes that hard. I sit there in my chair and remember that last week, at this same exact time, I was either still sleeping or going to Magic Mountain with friends. It’s hard to get used to having to commit to someone else’s schedule after three months of doing it your way.
But of all the parts that are hard to adjust to, the worst is homework and the work load. In summer, there is no school, no homework, no projects, no essays, no reports. Sure people have jobs and chores around the house, but now, on top of those things, we are forced to go somewhere for the day, and take more work home at the end. Hours and hours are spent on homework, and while some of it is meaningful, most of it just ends up in the trash or the bottom of my backpack after it has been graded.
The changes are always a shock, and getting used to the new classes can take some time. But every August, we are forced to adjust, to get back into “school mode” and deal with it.
