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This is my oldest child’s reflection about starting High School.  I loved it when I was in High School, but so glad that I don’t have to go back.  Especially in this day and age.

By Theodore A. Lee

August 27, 2012. It was a day that changed my life.

For me, it was almost like a new beginning, but others will think of it only as the first day of high school. It was an exposure to the real world, as I was warned that I would encounter drugs, alcohol, and parties.

All my life I had been attending Lehigh Valley Academy (LVA).  No fights, drugs, or bad kids. Everyone knew each other, and there were close relations between teachers, staff and students.  Ever since my family had come to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; we had heard of Liberty High School. It is known as the “big” school. It is comprised of 3,000 students, three buildings, and an enormous sports stadium. In contrast to Liberty High school; LVA high school is comprised of around 350 students, one hallway, and a small athletics program.

My parents decided to transfer me to Liberty in part so that I can play for Liberty HS soccer team. I am already part of a club team but they thought that there may be more opportunities by playing on both teams.

I had never thought that I would encounter such a big difference until August 27, 2012.

August 27, 2012 started with an unbearable wake up time at 6:20 am. The bus stop came at 6:55 am, so I had to be out of the house at 6:48am.

When I arrived at school, I got lost. There were so many kids scrambling around to get to classes, it was unbearable. I had to use a map to get to my classes! My classes were on different floors, different hallways, and different buildings. I had been accustomed to having my classes all on one floor, one building, and in a conjoined series of hallways.

Another difference that I encountered was that at Liberty I would be known by a number; whereas at LVA I would be known by my name. Also, the teachers at Liberty give very little leeway, and didn’t care if you fail a test or not. This is so different from LVA where we had close relationships with the teachers.

When the school day is over I am quite exhausted.  But I still spend two hours doing my homework and studying for my quizzes for the following day. In addition to my homework, I have soccer practice for two hours every day. My days have never been this busy. I thought to myself, “This is going to be a long year…..”

I believe that regardless of which school I attend, I will have lots of stress. I know that how hard I work in High school will be the key to getting into a good university. Therefore, I am currently taking Honors courses such as chemistry which is comprised of seniors, juniors, sophomores, and only one freshman; me.   I believe that whatever I’m doing now will reflect on how my future will turn out. My outlook on how I approach my work now is helping me greatly in school.

For me personally, I work significantly better under stress. So this stress is helping me to focus, study, do my homework, go to daily soccer practices, practice piano and violin etc.  This mentality is teaching me good life skills, such as time management, studying tips and making new relationships.  It is making me realize just how hectic life is going to be for the next 10 years of school.

I feel as though I am learning an incredible amount of information both during my classes and outside of class. I think that starting high school has opened my eyes as to what life is, and how hard you have to work to be successful. I now can imagine how much work my parents have put into everything to support us as a family, so I thank them for everything.

[Read also:  Joshua Lee: Minecraft]

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Theo Andrew is a freshman at Liberty High School.  He is on the soccer team, track team and in several clubs at his High School.  He enjoys playing the piano and violin.

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