Rant Time 3

Junior Year: The Beginning|Rave Time

I've started junior year (11th grade) as of yesterday. I started later than everyone else because of the hurricane delaying the schedule and the fact that my counselor made a mistake and accidentally dropped me as a student, making my mom go bitch raging mad until he put me back in the system.

But here we are, September 21st, 2017. I'm now in 11th grade (class of 2019!) and I'm close to being finished with my basic schooling.
I'm still in the homebound program. I decided to complete my high school years in the program because I've made a ton of progress over the past four years and I don't want to give that up.

My teacher I've had for the past three years is no longer my teacher, and I was sad about that, but I gave my new teacher a chance. I'm currently sick (goddamn those kids), and I was supposed to meet her Monday but I was on my deathbed that day. I met her today and I can honestly say that it's a real pleasure to have her as my teacher.

When my mom said that she was an older lady, I cringed. I thought she was gonna be the type to be extremely set in her ways and have a "my way or the highway" attitude. I was wrong.

She's focused, not only on the work I do, but on me as a person. She's interested in me, not just what kind of work I can produce as fast as I can. My other teachers were great, but I think I have a real connection with this one. When she came in, she was pleasant and actually had an attitude that made me feel like she was actually excited to be my teacher.

We did the whole "tell me about yourself" thing and it was nice. She told me a sum-up of her life and I'm very happy to know that she's been teaching for nearly three decades. I have more trust in her than I did my other teachers.

I think it was the fact that she sees me as a person and not just a student or a slave to homework. She realizes and acknowledges the fact that, while I can do my work and get my grades, I'm just a person in all reality. I'm not good at warming up to people, especially people I know I can't be on a total friendship level with, but it was very easy. She made everything easier on me by laying out my whole plan for my online classes.

Since everything is online, there's no confusion. She made everything clear for me and showed me exactly what I have to do. I'm familiar with the website I'm using this year so it was very easy for her to establish my plan and schedule.

She's incredibly nice to me, and even took note of any triggers I may have. She took note that I like listening to music as I work and it can't be too dead quiet or I get antsy. She's a talker, and I honestly don't mind that at all. She's aware that I may need breaks sometimes and is willing to accommodate me.

The best part about this is that she was happy to see that I have a basic life goal planned out already. When I explained to her my plans for college, she was shocked to see that I already have some sort of map planned out for myself. She asked me if I've done anything to help establish my future writing career, and when I said I've completed a book, she said that's amazing.

That's the first time a teacher has complimented me on my work like that. I can tell I left a good impression on her. I was able to make eye contact and speak without tripping over myself like a fool. My social skills are better, and she said a communication course would be a good alternative to a literature course that I may not be able to access this year. I've taken communication courses and it honestly did help me understand societal cues and body language, so I'm excited to start that if I'm able to get it.

I can tell that she's actually willing to help me. She'll actually do anything to attempt to get me what I want and will help me grow in my educational aspects. I had to fill out a form explaining what my skills are and what I'm able to do as far as technology (because it's all electronic this year) and basic educational skills. I never did that before, and I'm happy to know that they're not assuming I'm great with computers.

The first thing she asked me ask me was, "So you're a junior. How do you feel about that?"

I said, "I'm almost done, so that's the best part."

She laughed. It's nice to know that I can be brutally honest about my feelings and concerns I have with the school board. I explained to her that I had issues the past couple of years with the websites used and the distribution of my work. She's willing to ensure that doesn't happen again. She knows that I like being an independent worker and don't always want someone over my shoulder dictating what I do with my work.

My schedule still needs to be modified a bit, but I will officially start probably next week. Overall, she's a really nice lady and I'm excited to see how this year will go. Hopefully it's an adventure worth taking.

Here's to my junior year!
~
Sierra 🌙