Year 7 memories

Being a Year 7 starting out in the Senior School can be tough; so tough, in fact, that it is remembered still by older students who have long since undergone the stress and pressure. As a Year 7 myself, I have interviewed a few Year 11 students who may have been traumatised by this random interaction at first, but were happy to share once they realised the motive for me grabbing them at lunch. Here are some of their not so nostalgic points on starting high school.

  • Lack of sleep when having to rise early

Ah, the wrath of the night owl becoming an early bird! Of course, people must vividly remember the struggle of rushing to get ready early in the morning (after their beauty sleep being viciously pierced yet still not quite annihilated by the sound of the alarm), and nearly falling asleep in class, remembering nothing after trudging to the next lesson. And no matter how hard you try to get to bed early, it always seems impossible.

  • Finding friends

If you’re someone who came to this school knowing nobody at all, this is something you may remember. Having to sit alone at the lunch table, finding nobody to mess around with, all until you settled into the school and made acquaintance with everyone, only then would you find your chosen few!

  • Getting lost

And of course, the tornado of, “Where is room G?” and “I can’t find my PE kit!” tearing through the school! Getting lost is the primary worry of those in primary school, waiting for their first day of secondary school, anticipating and attempting to devise ways to make sure they never get lost. However, those methods either never worked (least common scenario) or they were never put into action (most common scenario). Luckily, the older students held their patience and showed us the way.

  • Sudden responsibility

From signing your planner to (actually) doing your homework, the abrupt surge of things to do and remember can be shocking- and when I say shocking, I mean shocking! As shocking as the surprise, you receive when a chicken lands on your head (okay, maybe not that shocking, but you get the point)! The first half term was blissful, but those times are over. The fear of behaviour points and an irrational fear of punishment can take over you entirely, and often make matters worse.

  • Uniform

Have you ever forgotten to wear your PE kit for Games? Or received a behaviour point for rolling up your skirt? Not knowing what to wear and when to wear it is a small yet serious offence. Another problem is forgetting to remove jewellery. Watch that necklace, folks; it could be smashed by that ball hurtling through the air!

And that may end the list of the troubles of starting high school, but there are still many, many more. Do you remember the strife of your Year 7 life?