sophomoric musings

please ignore my pathetic attempts to be clever with the title


So, school started yesterday. The sort of thing that heralds waking up before the sun and staggering up the stairs under the weight of a backpack filled with textbooks. It was kind of scary how much it seemed like just a continuation of last year. Sure, there are different classes and lots of new faces, but I had this overwhelming feeling of deja vu.

Anyway, the first day the seniors had covered the freshman lockers with cutouts of dead fish, which was pretty hilarious. I am glad I'm not a fish anymore. I think sophomore year is a pretty comfortable place to be, actually -- you're not the newbies or at the bottom anymore, but you don't have to worry about college apps or APs or anything yet. That's not to say I think it's going to be easy or anything...Far from it.

We're on a block schedule, so Monday was an A day (odd classes).

Advisory: It's the same group as last year, and the first thing our teacher told was, "Field Day is the day before Thanksgiving break and we need to do better than last year. That's all." Then we were handed a bunch of papers and sat there until some genius suggested we all introduce ourselves. So we went around and said things we did over the summer: "I went to Colorado." "I went to band camp." "I was an accessory to tax fraud." (Someone actually said that. I don't think he was joking.)

1. World History: I have this with a few of my friends, which is good. The teacher said she doesn't believe in pop quizzes, which is a plus, but we got a packet about Marxist theorists or something we're supposed to read and annotate. Which I already did in my newfound pursuits of being a Good Student.

3. Spanish II: The teacher only speaks in Spanish. We are only supposed to speak in Spanish. And I have no friends in this class. *big dramatic sigh* We have a vocab sheet which I'm not entirely sure what to do with, considering the instructions were spoken in a foreign language, and a mini-project due Friday. Yay.

5. Great Ideas: This is a 'required elective' which is an oxymoron if you ask me, but no one did. There are cool people in this class, which is good. It's about, like, humanities and philosophy and I'm not really sure. We're going to write a research paper at the end of it, which I despise doing, but we also get field trips.

Lunch: We have this silly* schedule this year where you go to half of fifth period and then lunch and the return for the rest of it. Basically it means I'm going to be hungry for a while! Lunch is shortened on days with advisory, but actually getting to eat and socialize is nice. I was so relieved when lunch finally came.

7. Drawing III: There is no Drawing II, so III it is! It's pretty much a case of 'everyone is so much better than I am' but I think it'll be alright. It's the same teacher and classroom as last year's Art I, though the latter looks vastly different. Also I'm with my friends which is nice.

Today was a B day (even classes).

2. Chemistry: I like this word. Chemistry. I know a bunch of people in this class, but of course, due to assigned seating, I'm not sitting near any of them. Also the teacher said "This course is extremely math-based", causing me to groan inwardly. I'm already taking a math course, thanks.

4. English: We read and analyzed a poem, which was actually pretty interesting. Then we were given the syllabus -- we're going to be reading lots of stuff, like the Iliad -- and several other papers. In the exact words of my teacher: "I like to give multiple assignments on one day. It amuses me." Apparently we're going to be doing a lot of writing, too. I definitely think it will be challenging but interesting as well.

6. Great Ideas (again -- it's every day but only for one semester): Today we read an excerpt from something of Plato's and it made me want to fall asleep. The end.

8. Pre-Cal: I was so relieved when I saw I had this in the afternoon. I mean, math's not going to be any easier at a certain time of day, but at least this way I have lunch to do my homework study some more. :) I have this with my math teacher from last year, which is nice. This class is a lot bigger than last year's, though.

Now, excuse me while I go attend to the mountain of homework my teachers have already supplied me with! (No, seriously. Today's day in the agenda is already full.)

Is it Friday yet....?

-Kendall

*That is what I say when I want to refrain from saying 'stupid.'