by Tiffany Hunter

Created on: September 04, 2009

Some look towards the first day of school with excited anticipation, anxious to show off their new clothes and catch up with friends after a long summer. Personally, I would have preferred undergoing elective surgery without anesthetics than attend school ever again. From the homework and assignments that were merely busy work, to the ridiculous dress codes and attendance policies, school seemed to be the death of my summertime freedom.

The first day of grade twelve, however, signaled a change. My classmates and I were at the top of the school. Any schooling after this year was purely elective and would be catered to our personal interests. I would never need calculus again! We could slack off in class and joke around with teachers: after all, some were only four years older than we were.

No longer a slave to early mornings waiting at a bus stop, I parked my car for the very first time in the student parking lot. Tossing my bag over my shoulder I slammed my passenger side door, and delighted at the "beep" my car let out to let me know that it was locked. Heads turned. How cool am I?

I walked up the steps to my locker on the top floor, laughing in my head at the hordes of grade nines feverishly trying to find their homeroom. I had been there once, but now I would be one of the worshipped seniors.

I reached the top of the stairs when I felt my foot miss a step, and down I went. I let out a squeal of surprise, but quickly recovered, putting a look on my face as if nothing happened. Unfortunately, my recovery was not as smooth as I had hoped. As I walked past, a group of ninth graders burst into laughter.

I laughed it off on my way to homeroom, and found some familiar faces to join. The morning announcements interrupted our chatter about our summers, and our teacher tried desperately to hush our discussions. The announcements commenced with a brief announcement of my license plate number and car description, followed by "your lights are on." I hung my head as my friends howled with laughter, and I raced to shut them off.

The next class was my peer leadership class, and I was excited to be helping out with the ninth grade drama class. I walked in, ready to greet my drama teacher, when I noticed a familiar group sitting in front. Lovely. I now had to attempt to command respect from the very same group of kids that had witnessed my plummet down the stairs. The next week of peer tutoring was hell. I realized that the first day of school is the first day of school, no matter if it's your first or two hundredth day at that school, and it will always be memorable, if not the most embarrassing days of my life.

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