My transition into Freshman year had been fairly rough as I fought with my illnesses and left behind the familiarity of the previous school. I had become especially attatched to my middle school Spanish teacher, who became almost like a "second dad" to me. He helped me through my drastic health decline and had always known how to make me laugh.
But when I went into my Freshman year, I was not preprared for how rapidly time moved! It was so fast paced and there was a lot expected of the students at this time in their schooling. If you didn't apply yourself and try your best, you'd fail. This year in my high school experience was full of periods of learning what I was made of. It was so crowded and it was hard driving my chair through the halls without accidentally hurting someone. I'd get cussed at regularily and everyone was desperately trying to figure out where their place was. It's a common thing for Freshmans to think "they know everything". They don't. Neither do seniors. Neither do your teachers, as much as it seems. Your brain is not fully developed until your 25, so to those Freshman who think they could run the country, they can't. Staying humble, motivated and thankful will get you very far in life. School is a privilege. Your experience comes down to how you carry yourself. While it's great to reconnect with friends that you haven't seen in 2 years, it's important that you realize the significance of the transition and are ready to accept greats amounts of change, memories and responsibility.
Tips:
1.) Work First, Play Later: make sure your highest priority is your schoolwork. Don't let procrastination get the best of you. It's very easy to slack because you are given an extra day to work on classes, but that's because there will be a lot of work and many of the students are in various sports. Enjoy yourself after your work is done.
2.) Respect Yourself: know what you stand for and why enough to combat any temptation that may come your way, whether it's drugs, sexual immorality or bullying. When you respect yourself, you respect others and are not afraid to set boundaries or stand up for others
3.) Ask For Help: utilize your opportunities to work directly with your teachers. Ask questions!! Know that studying early for things will greatly pay off, because you'll pass state regents exams better
4.) Use school apps: "MyHomework" is a free iOS app on the App Store. Download it and use it! This will help remind you of things due and keep you on track in case you lose or can't access your planner. Use the free iOS app, "Quizlet" to help you study for tests
5.) Mark Things Due Early: With important assignments and projects, set the due dates at least 2-3 days earlier than the actual due date. This will help you get things done with a cushion for last minute touch ups
Have fun!