Freshman year is one every 8th grader waits for the whole year, saying, “I can’t wait for high school!”  It’s not just for different classes but meeting new classmates and teachers, finding new friends, new experiences, and exploring things you like and may find of interest in for future jobs or hobbies. The first year of high school is an experience you’ll never forget.

I’ve asked freshmen for their opinions and what they think about high school and how it’s affected their lives as the year has gone by.

I asked Leslie Gomez, a freshman, Have you noticed any differences in your mental health since you’ve started high school. She said, “My mental health has stayed the same, perhaps even a little better, but high school hasn’t really affected me in any particular way.” Which made sense because we are only halfway through the year, and she might not have felt that her classes were harder or much different than last year.

Following up from that question, I asked her, “Are the teachers at Osbourn High School good at teaching and meeting students’ needs?” She answered by saying, ” Yes, they’re good at teaching and overall good at explaining, and very patient, and they actually try to teach and make sure their students learn correctly. High school teachers have a way of teaching the basics and actually caring for their students.”

Many students have had different changes in their school years, one being the shift of transferring from middle school to high school, which has also affected many things, like their grades. I asked Jeremiah Okyere, a junior, “Are your grades better this year or worse?” He said, “My grades have always been good, but high school classes have definitely been more challenging and harder to keep up with, so overall I feel like my grades have probably stayed the same.”  Talking to someone who’s been here longer and is older is very interesting because of the differences between someone who just got to high school and someone who’s been here longer and has more knowledge about this school and classes.

I followed up by asking, “What methods do you use to keep up with your grades?”  He responded by saying, “The main technique I use to keep up with all my work is if I have homework to do, I’ll do it and finish it at home, it helps me stay on track with the assignments that I have missing or need to complete.”

I asked a friend who’s a freshman, Ashly Murillo, ” Do people in your classes help you focus or distract you?” She responded saying, ” I’m a very talkative person and always find ways to make new friends, but in high school it’s been way different, and I don’t talk as much.” This shows how high school can definitely change the way you are and maybe even distance you from your closest friends.

Aside from that, many kids and adults don’t realize how high school is supposed to be a fresh start and a new experience where you find what interests you and what you’d like to do after high school. It’s where you find your purpose and what you’d like to do as a job or career for the rest of your life. The biggest accomplishment anyone can have is being firm and confident in what they want to do for their future, and it all starts from the beginning of freshman year. I

How has high school affected you? Let me know in the comments!