The First Day of School

Today is the first day of school in the public schools and some private schools. It’s the end of the beloved summer break. It is the end of the short-lived intersession. Today is the start of another grueling school year.

The first day of school is the most anticipated—if not the most dreaded day of the year.  For me, the day is mostly horrifying—good thing I’m already over school.

Back when I was a student, I wasn’t the type who anticipated the first day of school. Of course, I look forward to seeing my friends and classmates but there are a number of things I hate about the start of the academic year.

I hate the first day of school because it meant my days are longer and my nights shorter—early to bed, early to rise… Of course, I turn in early—I had to. Staying up late and waking up feeling tired would only make things worse.

Another hated thing, is finding out that my close friends are on a different section. If only I was able to choose my classmates. Well, in my high school alma mater, one could choose his/her classmates—if one enrolls late and by late, I mean, the classes have already started. I had a classmate who enrolled on the first day of class. The school administration gave her the option to pick her own section. She chose to join me and the rest of the unruly gang, even though our class had the school’s most dreaded teacher as an adviser. I don’t know if I would have made the same choice as her.

Finding out that your new adviser is the scary, ill-tempered, someone-who-is-ready-to-bite-you type is another thing—the infamous teacher known for screaming at her students. Me, I was never lucky when it comes to class advisers. I’m fine in having an ill-tempered subject teacher; at least, if I’m lucky, I only get to spend an hour a day with him/her. An adviser who runs a class in her own reign of terror? No way!

Lastly, the thing that I hated most in the start of the school year is the student introductions. The thought of introductions make me want to skip the first day or skip school entirely. If only I was allowed to tell the teacher, ‘Do I have to do this again? I know most of the class and most of them know me. Let the newbies introduce themselves to the class instead.’ I really dislike standing in front of the class to introduce my self—I dislike staying in front in general.