After five years of hard work, dedication and a whole load of mental breakdowns, my GCSE exams are finally over. Saddened by the realisation that the couple of hundred students I’ve attended countless lessons with, I will never see again. But there are many things I won’t miss about secondary school, like the younger pupils - stereotypical as it may sound, they are the most annoying bunch of children I have ever had to experience. Ever. I mean, at 12/13 i don’t personally think I found it acceptable to stick chewing gum in each other’s hair or cause a ‘crush’ in the school’s main corridor, causing injury and possibly death!
Despite the bad bits of school, the number of benefits and the times that are most memorable to me, definitely outweigh this matter. I mean that when I first started school, I was small, quiet and to say the least a little bit uninspired at the prospects of a higher education. Neither was I interested in learning anything that the teachers were willing to teach me, resulting in me knowing far less than the child sat next to me. However, looking back on these times I think so much has changed, except the fact that I still lack in the height department! I am now hoping to receive my exam results next month which (if predicted correctly) should receive all As and A*s, oh and a C in Maths, but hey, we can’t all be perfect can we?
But what I will also take with me is my most distinct memory; starting off in year seven. It was my birthday and as I walked into the box classroom, everybody’s eyes seems to stare at me like I was some kind of alien. Nervously, I sat down next to a girl who didn’t even bother to make eye contact with me down to that pure fear of trying to make new friends. But I guess now, every single person whose eyes glared at me that morning back in 2007 or even the girl who failed to make eye contact, I can now officially say that they are all now friends for life and with regards to being quiet, you just can’t shut me up!
Advantages of Shakespeare in my future life - None.
2ND of September, my birthday yet again, is the date I move away to York to start a new life as a sixth former. As well as moving away from my bestest of friends who know me inside out, I will also be moving away from my family, including my Mum, Dad and younger siblings, who will continue to live in the same village as we have always done. Then again, I don’t think I will realise just how much this distance will affect me until I wake up that Monday morning and realise, yet again, what it feels like to walk into a classroom and not know anybody.
Being almost 17 now, it’s not like being in primary school. You cant just make friends by smiling at each other. To make friends now you have to ‘fit in’ and by this I mean you have to look a certain way and act a certain way to fit in to a particular group. Making friends, you can say, may be harder than getting my A- Levels! I guess you could say I am brave… but given the chance of moving to a new place, experiencing new things, meeting new people and open-handedly given an education of a lifetime, I would have been a fool not to grab it!
As much as I wanted to go to my local sixth form, where my friends were going, I think that after the first year, if things were not going as planned, I would have looked back and thought the ever going question ‘what if?’ Even though York is a couple hours drive or just a cheap trainride away, I will be continuing to make the journey back to Sheffield every weekend, not because I dislike it there, it’s just that Sheffield is the one place I feel safe to be and is closest to my heart… as well as the concessions on public transport!
Join us on our social networks: