Welcome to IT

(This is from an IT class when I was in Year 9. The questions being asked are too superlatively easy, dull, what-have-you, so I'm answering them. This class later turned into what-I-call a nightmare class, where it just got so bad that you didn't get any benefit from it. And yes, I have used the format from the Not Always series, but it works)

Classmate: You're on fire!

(I look down.)

Me: No, I'm not.

First Day of High School - Part 2

Welcome to the second part of my three-part serial about my first day ever at the school I've now left - First part is here.

However, what we got was a one week system, and what initially was an issue of concern was now a good thing instead of a concerning thing.. At my previous school, any timetable was kept to - for about two weeks a year! This timetable was firm, and even had which teachers and the room numbers. I copied the room numbers but not the teachers. Who needed to know that when going to your next lesson anyway?

We were then introduced to our learning leaders. I was soon to learn that all they did was come come into form time and check our planners or take us for reading when our tutors wanted to talk about us to the form, without us. They had a different tie to us and I thought this part was cool.

The Learning Leaders took us on mini-tours of the school before taking us back to the form-room. When I say mini-tour, I mean, our group went round out of the T-block, down around the library (not inside, just the outside! And we weren't even told!), under an arch, and into the science block. We only stayed downstairs S-block as well, not going upstairs. As the only thing I ever touched downstairs was the Homework club (all being learning mentors and IL and stuff like that) it wasn't particularly helpful to know that!

Mini-tour over, we went back to the form-room, but soon it was time for break. I dispelled my energy by myself in a corner of the field. All of the bigger students had come, now, and they too were having break. I looked around at the field and surveyed it, but there was nothing there for my old (and weird, but imaginative) game. It was all spaced too far apart, and there weren't enough bushes anyway. I decided to put that particular game away, never to come back.

After Break, we were due to go to the lesson timetabled, which was Science. However, I was unsure of the way. I distinctly remembered an arch, only I could not see an arch. Maybe I had made that bit up? I panicked slightly.

And then, a girl from my form, Alice, joined me, and we went together from there. We went in one direction, and asked a teacher's help. Well, she did all the asking. I'd seen the science block while she was showing the map of the school in her planner to the teacher. I could also see the arch from here, and was relieved. At least I hadn't made that bit up. I said nothing about knowing this, though, and finally we made our way to Science. I never actually got lost after that one time.

We were by no means the latest. It was a large group of boys who were. The teacher was more annoyed with those boys than she'd been with us, speaking somewhat sympathetically to us, and far less so, in fact, impatiently, to the gang of boys. The lesson progressed after that.

After the hour of Science, it was lunchtime. Alice and I went to the canteen (which wasn't that far from the Science block). We both had packed lunches (and lunch cards that we were given in Form), but I bought a bottle of water from there as well.

Keep an eye out for Part 3 - which has a good tip hidden in it.

Form Room

Remember in a previous post when I told you that our form had the same form room for the 5 years we spent at our high school?

Well, that is mostly true, apart from the one term we spent in a different Form Room.

Next door.

We've always been in one of the two form rooms in that area. It's a very small area, and so when we were in Year 7 and shared with some GCSE students, the small area between the rooms was crowded and squashed. This led to problems in that area, and it was a relief when those students disappeared in our Year 8. Although by that time our form were lining up just outside the block anyway.

For about the next three years we had that area all to ourselves. In the middle of that we had a change of form tutor, and now we had two tutors, hence the room change. When one of our tutors left we moved to the other room again, as our now only form tutor had that room (he was the less prominent of the two).

Nearer the end of our Year 10, a Year 7 form got the other room up there. This caused little problem as they lined up in the outside conditions this time, unless we had an assembly. When we had assembly they would go upstairs instead, once we had told them that we were lining up here, not them. They were the same form who shared that area the next year.

Apart from the two form/classrooms, where we first had Humanities in Year 7 and later had RE, there was a trapdoor on the ceiling. Many of the boys tried to open it (and/or hit the fire bell up there). There was also a display board, which stayed the same for about three years and was slightly broken.

There was also a disused cupboard, which turned into the Best Maths Teacher's office in Year 10. Then there were books and files and paintings and stuff in there, and some song lyrics were pinned to the wall. In our Year 11, it became a disused office, but it was unlocked, so we could easily open the door and go in.

This area was separated from the little landing with the big window and staircase leading downstairs with a door. A door that was very easy to open in our earlier years of High School, but in Year 10 got very hard to open.

That is about it for that area, some point soon, other areas of interest will be shown to you.

Today is ROA

Today is my ROA, or if you prefer, Record of Achievement! (Or, Leaving Ceremony). This is the day where we all dress up into dresses and such, and admire each other's clothes, before the ceremony commences and we all go to the Hall.

I am very excited about this! Although I am a bit nervous as well. It's kinda scary to think that we're leaving and going on to the local (rated Excellent by Ofsted) Sixth Form College. Although some other people will be going on to the 'Satisfactory' college of these areas.

Everyone thinks that I'll be wearing a blue dress. The same blue dress that Semibreve wore for the same ceremony.

Yeah, right!

I'll actually be wearing very gothic clothes. Mainly black, but there is also a fair deal of red, and a bit of black and white gingham as well.

I'll see if I can keep you updated on ROA preparations through the day.

Update: I have just had my hair washed by Moth so it can be styled. Because me hair is so very long (one slightly wavy bit has its tip resting on my lap) it would have been a difficult job for her. Wetness makes my hair look blacker than its usual brown. But the usual brown is unusual in my school, where everyone has black hair.

Update: Moth is now getting all my clothes out for the ROA.

First Day of High School - Part 1

This is the first part of my three-part serial of my first day at my beloved High School.

For most people who are 11 years old, starting at a new school is a terrifying, nerve-racking experience that could only be beaten in the horrifying stakes by being ripped apart by tigers, while being watched by the people they loathe, and not being able to escape from the cage they were stranded in. They tend to stick with people from their own previous school only, until they are settled in and ready to browse the market.

I have never been 'most people'.

I faced only pure excitement at starting at the same place that my sisters had gone to and my brother still went. And even wearing the uniform. I loved it.

My brother Crotchet still got a lie in that morning when I went down to my first day ever. He would be there later. My sister Semibreve, who was just about to, or already had started at the local Sixth Form college, took me to the school, and had promised to show me the way to a shop in the area.

She never did. Instead, she dumped me outside the hall, where the other Year 7s would be gathering. I took a seat, and waited.

Once there were lots of people in there we had an assembly of a kind. One of the teachers had a strong accent, and it wasn't easy to decipher what he was actually saying. His voice was grumbly as well which didn't help. When it came to the form-lists I hoped that it was the other person who would say my name because I was not sure about him.

Then they did the form lists. I kept my ear out for my name. I knew it was planned earlier that me and another guy from my school would be in this certain form. Apparently this was learnt from taster day, only many people from my old school hadn't been to it, and that included me. He would have come after me, probably straight after, and I disliked him. 

The two teachers took it in turns to announce the names of the people in each form. The Maths said, and indeed it was, the guy with the strong-accented voice who told of the names of the form I was to be in. Thankfully, I knew he said my name, and I joined the form it was planned for me to be in a while earlier. And the male I disliked who was planned to be in the same form? Well, he wasn't. I was the only person from my old school in that class and I didn't mind a bit.

I was also the only white person in that form (not counting the form tutor). The rest were all Asian, apart from one black guy. This led to confusion, particularly when it came to males, who looked all the same to me at that age.

We went to our form room, and it was a delight. (We were lucky to have all our 5 years of form-time in that room, apart for one term where we were next door). There we sorted out our official business, which included planners, timetables, going through the rules, and lunch cards.

I had initially been concerned about timetables because Semibreve, who showed me her planner once, had a two-week system. How would I know which week was A and which B? What would happen after half-terms and holidays? I wouldn't know how to deal with it when that happened!

Keep your eye out for the second part - in which I get slightly lost...