One of our Ballymena Today Youth Team recently started secondary school and has written about it here at Ballymena Today. Maybe you are nervous about leaving P7 next years or have started school this year too. Rachel shares a little of how she coped with the whole experience.
Photo Credit: redagainPatti; Creative Commons
I just recently started my first year at the Ballymena Academy. Because the buses didn’t go that day, my mum had to take me up to the school by car. When I got to the school, I walked through the girls’ entrance, and some prefects, took me to the gym hall, where we would wait for the rest of the Year 8 pupils to arrive. When they all did arrive, Mrs Robinson (our Head Of Year) welcomed us all, and shortly after we were talked to by the chief pastoral advisor about not being nervous or scared about your new school, because it happens to everybody, and it’s just a way of life – just relax and enjoy it while you can!
Shortly after we were all told what form class we would be in. the form classes are A, B, C, D, E and F. We were then told by our new form teacher who took us to our form class, which happened to be a Home Economics classroom. I took the back corner seat, and listened to the teacher rambling on about our new homework diary and new stationary etc. also, in my class (and every class, actually) there are about four 6th years – 2 girls and 2 boys. So I just hung about at the back of the class with 2 of the 6th years, who were great fun as we laughed and joked at the back of the class! (But that is just an example of what you should NOT do – always remember to listen to your teacher and do what they say, wink wink!)
We stayed in our form class for quite a while and we were eventually given our timetables and homework diaries, as well as some books and jotters to start us off. We were also shown round by the 6th years the Smartcard machine and how to use, most of the classes that we would need the following day (obviously we didn’t have any classes that day), and the dinner hall etc., so we wouldn’t be completely lost the next day, when there were more people in the school.
A basic word of advice is to check your timetable to see what subjects you will need for the day, for example: in the morning you might have English, Technology and then break, double Maths, then lunch, and then 4 subjects after that. To save you from carrying around what seems like a bag of bricks, only have books for those first 2 or 3 subjects, before you have time to go to your locker when you can change what is in your bag for your few periods – so this will be either at break or lunch time.
So, have fun, make friends, and good luck!
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