High school...

[whalelover]

Hey,
I'm going to high school next year...on one hand I can hardly wait, and on the other hand...I'm really nervous. Everyone's warning us about drugs, smoking, alchohal etc. I know for sure that I am NOT going to do any of those things. But, I was wondering...does anyone have any advice for me for next year? I'm going into grade 9 by the way.

[jesse_3]

I just finished 9th grade!

Anyways, for suggestions?? Well, everything you hear about "freshman kill day" crap, it's NOT true!

The Seniors, well, they were once the same as us, right?

The evilist grade that I've noticed can be 11th grade!

Good Luck and have fun;)

Steph and Jes

[Kfamr]

Ignore everyone else - do what you've got to do.
The quicker you get out, the better. I'm going into my Senior year. I dred going back.

[bluekat]

I just finished gr.9. Last summer I spent my whole time being nervous for high school but it wasn't as bad as I expected.

There were some fun times, and some times when I absolutely HATED going back. So much stress & everything.

Good luck! :)

[NoahsMommy]

If I could do it again, I'd do it a lot differently! Here are a few things I'd do:

*Concentrate more on my grades...high school opens so many doors for college and I'd take advantage of them ALL

*Join some sort of organized sport. You gain a lot of friends that way.

*In the summer, I'd take classes at the local community college so when I graduated, I'd already be ahead in college.

GOOD LUCK! You'll do great! :)

[whalelover]

Hey,
Thanks for your replies!
Well, as for the freshman stuff, apparently police come and stuff to make sure none of that happens. I don't have any enemies really, or any threats so none of that should be a problem. Apparently girls don't really get freshied...well that's what I've heard anyway. This past year only two of the kids got freshied, and they were loudmouth boys...so I'm not too worried this year.
As for the 11th grade, my brother is in it this year and so are all of his friends so I'm now not worried at all about the 11th grade! Which is good!
I think I will just ignore and stay away from the people I don't want to be with, and just do what I've got to do. That's what lots of people tell me, just turn up your nose and walk away from all that crap((drugs, etc.)). So I will! I kinda doubt it will be as bad as I'm assuming it will.
Anyways, I think I will concentrate alot more on grades. Our teacher told us that grade 9 math is very critical because it basically tells you what career you can have depending on how well you do, it opens up more doors. I will also join volleyball, well I'll try out anyway. I've played it the past two years and I really enjoy it. That seems like a really good idea, taking college courses in the summer! I think I will do that when I get a bit older.

[Uabassoon]

I always hear so many people complaining about what a horrible time they had in high school. I had a blast, I think it was one of the best times I ever had.

I'm a geek, have always been a geek and always will be a geek! But I never cared what anyone else thought of me, I did my own thing and I had a lot of friends. I had friends who were popular, nerds, jocks and so on.

Don't worry about trying to be popular or cool. Because once high school is over no one is going to care! Just be yourself, have fun, and don't care what anyone else thinks of you. Don't worry about what everyone else is doing, just worry about yourself.

Like Kelly suggested join a club, or join a few. It's a great way to meet people with similar interests.

[finn's mom]

Just be yourself, do things that make you happy, try your hardest in school. When you feel like you're not getting something, ask questions. If you feel like your teachers aren't there to really help you, go above them and ask questions. It's important to know what you're being taught. Don't ever feel like you can't ask questions. Join some sort of organized extracuriccular activity. Whether it be music related or sports related, or whatever. Just try your best, and, never give up. Good luck! Eleventh and twelfth grade were my favorites, only because I finally got some self esteem. ;)

[Tweety_Pie]

I just finished grade 9 too!!


The whole prank day thing isn't true. It something people get out of movies:rolleyes:

I found my first year soooo fun!! I knew my way around the second day I got there!! You meet alot of new people and it's really neat to start over new!!

The only important thing is: MAKE SURE YOU DO ALL YOUR WORK AND HAND IT IN, ON TIME!! Also make sure you have the right working habits.. because if you develop bad working habits, it will effect you in the long run.

Highschool is really fun, and it's nothing like in movies. It's basically the same as any other school, just alot more mature. There are some people in my school that do alot of drugs and I can tell you right now they arn't going anywhere in life! Don't care if someone says something mean to you, just be yourself!

I know you will have tons of fun in highschool!! Try not to worry, because it's not as confusing as it might seem!!

:)

[Uabassoon]

Oh good suggestion Finn's Mom! Never be afraid to talk to your teachers! Both of my parents teach high school, and I promise you that they prefer students who try hard and make an effort to a student who gets it but doesn't try at all. Teachers are also much more willing to help you out if you show them that you are really trying.

[finn's mom]

And, the only other thing I can think of is not to ever get involved in hurting or making fun of others. Some people never get over how they're treated by fellow students. I was teased ruthlessly in school for all sorts of things, I was never very pretty, and, kids always have to point that crap out. I was lucky to not be permanently scarred by that stuff. It would be great if people could stand up against other kids when they see an injustice occurring or just kids being nasty. But, that's a lot to ask of a young person, to stand up to their peers. I never was able to stand up when I saw other kids being teased. But, I rarely participated in the teasing, and, I've always been glad of that. Don't get me wrong, I went through a phase where I just did stupid crap to fit in, but, it was a short lived phase. Anyway, i hope that made sense.

[jesse_3]

The only important thing is: MAKE SURE YOU DO ALL YOUR WORK AND HAND IT IN, ON TIME!! Also make sure you have the right working habits.. because if you develop bad working habits, it will effect you in the long run.

Very true, I'm surprised that I didn't think of that!--Trust me, you hand in all of your work, and you'll be fine, grade wise. Don't be like me and bomb it all! It is hard to pull yourself up! Trust me!!


The evilist grade that I've noticed can be 11th grade!
I worded that VERY wrong! As I look at it, I can't believe I put that! I'm sorry and I meant no offense to anyone!!--Just past past experiences....It was all MY fault though!

Steph and Jes

[cali]

I just graduated high school last month, god luck starting! its really not bad, and not even close to what you see in TV shows and movies, in elementry school however I was a looser, teachers had to threaten the class to make people let me in their groups for projects, I was the one they made up rumors about etc.. but in high school I had lots of friends, and everyone was MORE then willing to befriend me, and overall high school brought me out of my shell, when I started I was afraid to talk to anyone, by the end of grade 9 I had a total of 3 signitures in my yearbook. now I am not afraid to talk to people, I have tons of friends, and I think I talked too much...as my "group" in english kept getting seperated for talking lol high school is fun, and dont let others bring you down ;)

[whalelover]

Thanks-sorry I haven't been on here in awhile..meh
I will take all of your advice and try very hard to get good grades, and I also plan on making lots of friends. I was just talking to my brother {who is in high school} and he said that it really doesn't matter if you have lots of friends IN school, because you usually make lots more friends if you do activities outside of school. Plus I guess they have more of the same interests as you..so I think I will start doing lots more out of school activities, I'm always bored after school, and he has so many more good friends because of his out-of-school activities! It seems like a great idea. Also from what you guys said, doing extra curricular activities in the school is a good way to meet people.
Less than a month left..dun dun dunn...

[luvofallhorses]

Don't worry about what other people think, if someone gives you a hard time, ignore them. If it escalates, report them to one of the staff members. I hated school but I stuck it out, I graduated in June and love being a free woman :)

[Anita Cholaine]

I'm also going to high school next year, but I'm not very nervous. Most of my school partners will go the same school as me, so it won't be so different... The only worry I have is that it will be much more difficult, and that I'll have a lot to study...

I have never been a popular girl, and I dont have lots of friends, but the ones I have are fantastic... so I dont care about what others think about me, that's something you have to learn...

[tikeyas_mom]

my biggest piece of advise would be for you not to care what anyone eles thinks of you.. You are your own person, dont change for anyone.. dont let pure pressure take hold of you. and dont care about how you look because you are beautiful the way you are... trust me all these things will come up.. high school is a stressful place..

[Samantha Puppy]

One thing my father beat into my head from the time I was a little girl - and it sticks with me to this day - GUILT BY ASSOCIATION. It does not matter if you're hanging out with your friends and they're drinking or doing drugs and you're not - you're with them and you will get in trouble for it too. It doesn't matter if your friends are the ones who stole the car and came to pick you up for a joyride. You get in it, you'll be in trouble too.

Don't hang out with people that are going to put you into situations like that. Sure, those are extreme possibilities but even on a lesser level - you'll still get in trouble if it's something you're not supposed to be doing, even if you're not and they are.

Most of all, HAVE FUN!!! I loved high school and still miss some aspects of it to this day. It's where I began dating and fell in love with my now-husband. It's where I was into a whole bunch of stuff - band, theatre, clubs, etc. ENJOY YOURSELF - it truly can be the best time of your life if you play your cards right... why? How? Because the more you gain your parents trust (and keep it), the more freedom you will get - yet you don't have to deal with the stress of money and bills and everything that awaits you in the real world.

Have fun!

[buckner]

First off, congrats for entering high school!

I'll be a senior next year, and there are tons of things I wish I did when I was freshman. I wish I had joined a sports team or something similar. While I'm involved in tons of academic clubs and such, lots of colleges like to see you involved in sports!

Enjoy yourself, have fun, and stay out of trouble! Next year will be one of the best years of my life, excluding my difficult schedule (ughh, I think I'm going to die.. hehe), because I'm going to live it up. However, I'm going to stay true to myself, because I don't drink, smoke, etc. I suggest you do the same. Keep your grades up, even if you think "ah, it's freshman year, I can slack off". Nope! Doesn't work, you need to maintain it all the time! Get PLENTY of sleep every night if you can (it's been impossible for me my past 3 years because of my workload) so you can stay awake during classes and not get sick.

Most important, HAVE FUN!!! Don't stress out, it won't be bad at all! You'll have a blast, so be yourself!

[CamCamPup33]

I absolutely LOVE high school. IMO, its wayy better than middle school. You get a lot more freedom, and the teachers treat you as adults rather than kids.. That can be a bad thing though, if you don't keep up with your work and such, but it really does prepare you for life. You'll be able to tell which crowd not to hang out with when it comes to the drug & alcohol thing. In my school, i completely avoided those people, and in doing so, i didn't know much about what went on with the drugs and stuff.

High school isn't as bad as it seems.. It CAN be if you make the wrong decisions, that will lead it to be bad, but i guarentee you'll come home from school and see it wasn't half of what you expected. I was freaking out the 1st day of school not knowing whether or not it would be scary, and how everyone else always says it is, but it turned out to be just fine & im so excited to go back.

[MariaM]

Hmmm I'm kind of in the same situation as you. I am starting high school in less than a month, I am joing the volleyball team (trying out!!) and I have a brother going in grade 11.

I can sure say that I am super excited though. I mean, there are a few bad things. My best friend won't be there and I'll rarely see her. I'll miss my old town. (I have to take a bus to the cittty). The bus trips will be longgg for me, and in the winter it will get kind of hard with waking up extra early for walks lol. Also, I DON'T LIKE SCHOOL.

Lol but I can sure say I'm looking forward to NEW TEACHERS. I had a horrible time this past year, because of the most horrid teachers ever. So I am REALLY looking forward to NEW PEOPLE next year. I think I will really have lots of fun, I mean, I hate school but since I HAVE to go, I can't help myself getting excited for high school. If that makes any sense Lol.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

Hold true to yourself and your beliefs. I live in a skanky redneck town that is full of drinking and drugs, but I have never done anything not even smoked 1 cigarette. I have always been very against drugs and I'm proud to say I never fell to pear-pressure. I stayed away from parties that I knew were going to have drinking and drugs. Yes there were times I was offered drugs, it's not always possible to stay away from them, but you don't have to take them- I never did. I was always the "go to girl" my friends all knew if they were at a party and needed an out they could call anytime day or night and I'd be there for them.
Also try to keep a good relationship with your parents. I didn't (and still don't) have a good relationship with my mom. She was never there for me. My dad on the other hand was always there for me. He helped me with homework when I needed it. I could call him whenever and wherever and he'd pick me up if I needed him to. He was always there for my friends too, he went out late one night to change my friends flat tire when she needed help.

[barncat]

Hi.. I teach high school for "at risk" kids and the advice I'm giving you is the same as what I tell them. Repect yourself and treat others with the respect you'd like in return (even if they don't always seem as if they deserve it).

If you have respect for yourself, you will know what is right for you and when to ask questions about a situation of those you trust. Honor who you are as you grow and change and try to remember not everyone will be growing into maturity at the same rate.

Respect your need for fun and don't rush growing up...(trust me, it'll happen soon enough) High school students have all the emotions and temptations as adults, but much less time on the planet to get perspective. Always respect your process of growing and learning enough to take a deep breath and give yourself time to think before you decide on anything important.

We all need eah other. Develop a network of peope, adults and peers, that you respect and can trust and talk with them about what's going on in your life.

Oh, yes, give your best effort to your school work and if you don't understand, or if a teacher is hard to deal with (and some are!) TALK to them about it. Never stop asking questions that help you learn.

Good luck, but I doubt you'll need it. Bet you'll do fine.

[G.P.girl]

yeah i just finished 9th grade. i wasnt really excited to go to highschool but i loved it and i think it was really fun. sure theres more homework and responsibility, but there are dances and football games and cool sports. i think its great. good luck!