Feeling like a freshman in a sophomore’s body? Don’t worry, there’s a lot of people who are just now stepping into your school for the first time this year.
Feeling like a freshman in a sophomore’s body? Don’t worry, there’s a lot of people who are just now stepping into your school for the first time this year.
A giant percentage of the Kanawha County student population — the ones who went online, including me — have just recently returned to regular school life. About as regular it can be, anyway.
The first day of school for me, on Aug. 9, was the most nostalgic, yet strange experience of my life. After about a year and half of e-learning, this was my first time stepping into my high school — not as a freshman, but a sophomore. There were some people I saw from middle school, who I knew had been online, trying to navigate this new place with me. Others who had also gone to my middle school, but were instead in-person last year, seemed to have changed significantly. Then there were the people in my own grade who I’ve never seen before, new to me in every way.
It was weird, to say the least, to hear the voices of teachers I had online last year in the room next door, never having met them face-to-face. It was strange to see faces I knew from elementary school there, and hadn’t seen in years, suddenly unrecognizable. For that whole first week, I felt like a freshman trapped in a sophomore’s body, and now all of these new things were expected of me, in this totally new environment, and I felt completely unprepared to deal with it.
Suddenly there’s driving permits, social expectations, new requirements, new people, and a huge, unfamiliar school. A lot of this is dumped on you as a freshman, so imagine this shock of it happening when you’re a grade up, where they already expect you to be prepared for everything. That can certainly cause some stress, and I know I was not the only one feeling this. But now with the second week of school on the books, with hopefully more to come, I have some ways to deal with it.
For a good first step and better start, be sure to talk to anyone and everyone, and ask every question on your mind. It doesn’t really matter who you ask. Teacher’s are being paid to help you and answer questions, and when you don’t want to do that, you can still ask peers, as there’s going to be someone who already knows their way around. And when in doubt, with class troubles or otherwise, ask your counselor for advice. These are problems that they are prepared for, it’s their whole job. Don’t sweat a question, and be sure to ask them.
Another helpful thing to do is to establish a routine early on. As soon as you have your schedule locked in, find the best route to your classes and be comfortable with it, the sooner the better. Figure out your plans for lunch; know what you’re going to do in the morning. It gives you a much better sense of control over the situation, and you have less to worry about. Anxiety and stress stems from not having control over any given situation, so try to limit that problem as much as you can. The first week is always hectic, so you unfortunately can’t do anything about that, but having routines is what will come from it.
Try to find some after school activity that you’ll enjoy. You’ll make new friends and reconnect with old ones. Sports, clubs, the arts — anything that’ll help integrate you. It’s always a good idea to try extra curricular activities in school, and it’s a lot of fun, especially after spending so much time inside.
It doesn’t matter if you end up not liking an extracurricular, you can try as many as you want until it fits. This applies for any school year, post-quarantine or not. After-school activities will make you look forward to school, and you’re not constantly thinking about work. They tend to enhance the general school experience.
Introduce yourself to new people. It helps to know who’s in your grade, the people you have to spend years learning with. Schools are big, and full of all kinds of people. Chances are, you’re going to meet someone you like, and it makes the whole experience a lot more fun when you’re friendly. It’ll also help you in the long run, if there were another quarantine for example, to have people in your corner, in and out of school.
The best thing you can possibly do in this situation is to not overthink. It’s a lot harder than it sounds, but it’s true. A lot of people are in the same boat as you, and everyone’s aware of what’s happened. You’ve probably forgotten what school is really like if you have spent a lot of time at home, but it’s not as different than you think. Take things slow, one step at a time. Before you know it, school will feel as normal as it always has. But until then, remember to stay calm, and try your best.
