Going into High School

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After three years, my Junior High days were winding down. I remember my first day of Sixth Grade. I was afraid of everything; being late to class, jamming my locker, mean Eighth Graders, everything just seemed so overwhelming but now, all of that is behind me. Finally at the top of the school, a new question rises. What is High School going to be like? The Junior High I went to split. That means half of the students go to one High School and the other half goes to another. That made High School all the more frightening. With only a month in school left, our High School counselor came in to talk to us about the different classes and clubs that we can attend. Everything seemed extremely interesting and fun but only being able to choose a few was very difficult. As I went home with the news, my parents were also excited.
The next few days, my parents and I started to talk about the classes and clubs I would be taking for school. I knew that some of the classes I wanted to take were not the same classes my parents wanted me to take. After much discussion, we finally came to a conclusion. My parents wanted the best for me and for me to learn as much as I could so they let me choose the classes that I wanted. I am not taking the hardest math class or the most challenging science class but my parents knew that those classes would benefit me and were the classes I wanted. I also knew that some other students did not get much of a say in the classes they are taking. Their parents tell them what classes to take and clubs to join. One of the most important things is communication. Students and their parents need to talk and communicate because its the student’s future so he should get a say in what he takes. The parents have gone through school already but that was a different time, so what worked for you might not work for your child. High School is already stressful enough so the best thing is for the student to choose classes that they enjoy.
To get another students point of view, I interviewed a friend Jason Wu, and asked him some questions.
Q:Was choosing High School Classes difficult for you? Did you get the classes you wanted and did your parents influence your decision?
A:“Most of the classes I wanted but the one class that was chosen by my parents was computer programming. I have never programmed before so my parents influenced me on that class. I didn’t know which class I wanted for my elective so my parents chose for me”
Q:What clubs are you planning on joining?
A:“I am planning on joining the Math Club, Physics Club, maybe the debate team and other bowl teams”
Q:Have you thought about the college(s) you want to attend and why?
A:“Yes, I really want to go to Stanford, the main reason I want to go there was because I actually went to Stanford to see it. Another reason is because my mom has colleagues whose children who went there, and based off of their reactions to the school, it really made me want to go”
Q:Are your parents allowing you to do the athletics that you want?
A:“I wanted to do football in junior high but according to my parents football is too dangerous. But as a quarterback, the chances of getting hurt are much slimmer, but they still wouldn’t listen. But they let me run in track, so I guess it’s not too bad.”
Q:Do you feel that you have the freedom in your choices that you want?
A:“I do but sometimes, I still seek my parents advice.”
Q:Do you talk to your parents a lot about High School?
A:“Yes, a lot, cause they’ve obviously been through the high school experience even though it was in China. And I worry sometimes about high school, mainly in anxiety and excitement, but they help me “calm down”.”
Q:How has your High School experience been so far?
A:“The only high school experience I’ve had so far is going to my high school’s registration. So I’m not sure I can answer that first question. Choosing classes has been the easiest I believe, mainly cause my family and I already had choices already planned out beforehand. During eighth grade, our counselor came to our junior high and gave us the basic information that we needed. But prior to summer break I was already asking my counselor questions through email. Aside from that, I haven’t asked or required any help from my counselor. Finding my locker took the longest and was the hardest. My high school is pretty darn big, and the lockers are all spread out between classrooms, so it was quite confusing. But getting used to the school map and learning different points in the school helped me in getting accustomed to a new and different surrounding.”