sixth-form
The First Day of School
Yesterday was my first day in a new school. I was moving from a secondary school to a sixth form college and there were many differences. It went well and but I found some of the differences a bit difficuilt to come to terms with. To get them off my chest I’ve decided to share my thought on the matter with you.
I haven’t been in school with girls for five years and coming back to a mixed-sex was a bit of a culture shock. It’s amazing how much people (boys especially) relax when around the opposite sex. In a single sex school you get over that quite quickly and since there’s nobody to impress you tend to just get on with work and mess about much less. Another surprising thing to me is how easily male teachers can give in to good-looking girls. They seem to be able to avoid tellings-off all the time; shame the female teachers aren’t as easily manipulated.
‘Sixth-form is a step towards adulthood’ reads my sixth-form prospectus. I had read this many times and been told that I would be treated very differently by the teachers but I never expected it to be like this. If truth be told it is a little too relaxing for me. Firstly the teachers are much more relaxed about small things like talking quietly when they’re talking and being 5 minutes late. This sounds great but it’s quite a shock and really tempts you to relax a bit and do the same.
It doesn’t help that there is no uniform either. I apologise to readers from cultures where non-uniform is the
No more of this to be seen.
norm but in the UK it has always been compulsory and to see it go is actually quite sad. I have been to seeing the same sea of navy blue jumpers for the last 10 years of my life; everyone has always looked the same. But now to see everybody dressed up in the latest fashion is strange. It causes you to feel much freer which is good but it will take a while to sink in.
Finally and most importantly is the attitude of the teachers which freaked me out the most. Usually at the end of a class the teacher would repeat the homework instructions a number of times, making sure everyone had noted it down and was capable of completing it. Not any more. This time there was a sentance or two of verbal instruction before the teacher left the room in a hurry. Teachers really aren’t there for you any more. They are, but you have to seek them out yourself, otherwise you’ll start to lose out. My parents always said to me that you are much more independant in college but it has taken me aback for sure.
You're on your own now, son.