What I Hate About the First Day of School

The first day of school brings with it a mix of emotions. Students often experience excitement along with a little fear of the unknown. On a discussion thread at MacRumors, students have been comparing war stories and sharing some of the things they’re dreading about the start of the school year.

Take some time to check out the full thread, but in the meantime, enjoy these highlights, which are likely to represent at least some of your students’ states of mind in the coming weeks.

For the older students, parking is a recurring theme. "Counterfit" shared a horror story related to a flood of vehicles jockeying for position in the school parking lot:

“Parking is also AWFUL on the first day at school. Last year, it fell precisely one week after I picked up my new car, so I wasn't quite ready with the clutch yet. Of course, both entrances to my school are uphill, so it was backed up like crazy. I think I stalled about 6-7 times before I managed to get into the parking lot.”

Lunch-related woes were common across all grade levels. Complaints covered everything from the poor timing of lunch to the stress of locating the “right” table at which to eat. "iToster" lamented the quality of the food, noticing that

“…the hamburgers are fused with the buns.”

Start times seem to be an issue for students who have grown accustomed to sleeping in during the summer months. More than one poster complained about waking up “extra early,” or being up “far earlier than human beings should be.”

Student "ghall" summed this issue up the best:

“Waking up on the first day, I'm always zombified on the first day of school.”

Surprisingly, not all comments concerned students’ gripes. "ErikCLDR" expresses sympathy after witnessing some of the back-to-school professional development required for educators:

“The teachers had to watch a movie on how to be a good lecturer and deal with obnoxious and mocking students. Afterwards, they had to discuss in small groups on what they learned in the movie. I guess we're not the only ones who have to do time-wasting crap.”

And while the discussion is peppered with plenty of complaints, there are some students like "Dagless," who offered this bit of encouragement:

“I was always nervous about the first day of school…. regardless of the year I was in. But along the way, I realized that probably a lot of people were nervous too, and that made me feel better.”

Article by Jason Tomaszewski, EducationWorld Associate Editor
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