The Smaller, The Better.
Lost is how I feel right now. At first, I was so eager to come to this big school. I was tricked by my friends who gushed about all the opportunities, the varied new sports teams, all the different people I will meet and how learning here is easier because obviously bigger schools equals better teachers. Well, boy were they wrong.
I have been at this new school for about a month now, after my first day here I was tempted to leave and return to my old school but my mother told me that I should give it at least a few weeks before I make my final decision.
So far, I’ve learned that in a big school there are 3 rules you must follow. 1) Keep your head low while walking in the crowded hallways and make sure you don’t step in gum. 2) Do not be caught in the hallways without a hall pass. 3) Determination is key to teaching yourself since no teachers seem to have the time to give you any individualized attention.
Being here has really shown me how much better small schools are. For one, you can leave the class without asking the teacher and without a hall pass in hand with no fear of getting detention. I have also learned that the sports we play at my old school are the same sports we play here except that if you want to play on any of the athletic teams here you must undergo hours of sweat ridden tryouts, practices and you must sacrifice your life to be on the team.
The people, sure they are nice but it is the same thing day in, day out. We are all herded like sheep around the much too cluttered hallway, reeking of body odour. I cannot forget to mention that the teachers here neglect to teach. They get paid to write pages and numbers on the board, I am afraid that if I approach them I will get that much too familiar scowl they seem to wear on their faces like masks.
Like I said, my friends are the ones who convinced me to come here while speaking about how we could join the cheerleading team together and spend more time with each other in all the extracurricular activities they offer here, well there is no such thing as a cheerleading team at this school. And still, I have yet to have a class with anyone I know.
I was told that there would be an abundance lists of classes to choose from but realistically my old school offers just as many if not all the same classes, the only difference is that these classes are filled with obnoxious teenagers who talk so loud my ears ache by the time the bell comes alive.
I seem to be longing for my old school, the feeling of walking down the hallways carefree with room to actually breathe, smile and wave at everyone that I know. The people at my old school were like family to me seeing as I have known them for so long. Every day when I walk into class my mouth is dry, I am short of breathe and my palms sweaty, I cannot get comfortable in this school. There are too many people everywhere, it feels more like a concert than a school.
I also took advantage of the lockers we have at my old school. They were clean and spacious enough for me to fit everything necessary in there, my locker here is about one quarter of that size and I have to press all of my weight against it to keep it shut not to mention the terrible reek of old gym socks and the graffiti written all over them.
So, this Monday is the first day back at my old school as I am feeling excited and pleased, although a school is a school and no matter big or small they are for the same purpose; which is education. I believe that you are going to spend at least 10 years of your life in a learning environment so you should enjoy it while you can. I have given this big school a try and it is safe to say that it is just not for me. Being here I haven’t learned much about math, science, physics or English but I have come to see that bigger is definitely not better especially when it comes to schools.
If there is one thing that I have been taught from my experiences is that small schools are far better than big schools. It didn’t take me long to realize that everything is better at my little school whether it be the environment, people, the education, the hallways the classrooms even the lockers. I am so glad my parents enrolled me in a small school gave me the freedom to explore different size schools because now I know what works for me and how I will proceed with my education.