Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Teen Guest Post: The Dos and Don'ts of Back to School!

Yay! I'm excited because today we have a special treat for you all--teen Raven Ashley is doing a guest post. Raven is a rising senior who aspires one day to be an author. You can follow her blog here and on Twitter here. Now, without further ado...

So it's that time of year again. You know...the one where we have to spend five days a week listening to teachers go on and on about stuff we're not going to remember in say....ten years?

As much as it pains me to say the "S" word, it's time for us to go back to school. I know it hurts but...I'm here to help.


I don't claim to be an expert on surviving first days but this is my senior year so I do have a little bit of experience. Here is a list of DOs and DON'Ts that will be sure to help you get ready to go back to...well you know...

1.) DON'T let any sparkly vampires climb in through your window. I know it worked for Bella Swan but...seriously who can get a good night's rest when they have a sparkly creature of the night watching their every move. This leads me to number two on my list:

2.) DO go to bed early. As much fun as it is to stay up all night talking to friends you're going to regret not getting all the sleep you can get.

3.) DON'T pull a Parker Fadley (Cracked Up to Be by Courtney Summers). She couldn't find her dress shoes and she went to school with a mustard stain on her skirt.

4.) DO get ready the night before. From experience, going to school on the first day isn't fun if you have stains on your clothes from breakfast. So double-check your clothes, make sure you know where your shoes are and have your book bag ready BEFORE you wake up the next day. Trust me...if you do all the important stuff early, waking up in the morning won't be so bad.

5.) I know some people worry about carbs and...if you're anything like Regina George...then ignore this but breakfast is important. So make sure you have a good one either at home or at school (though school breakfast is usually crappy).

Okay...so this year is a little different for me. Not only is it my last year of high school, but it's going to be my first year at a different school and I am SO scared. I feel like a freshman! This brings me to my next bit of advice:

6.) DON'T be afraid to be afraid, especially if you're a freshman. People will tell you that you have nothing to worry about...but high school is pretty scary at first. When I started at my school I didn't know anyone, and being the geek that I am...I really didn't fit in. But that's okay because there will be other people who feel that way. Don't spend the first couple of weeks hiding behind a book like I did. Be yourself and go talk to people. It sounds hard but you never know, right?

One thing I've learned about first days is that there is no right or wrong way to go about them.

On my first day of middle school, I fell flat on my face...but that's a story for another time. The point is you're bound to have a Humpty Dumpty moment. Nobody is perfect. But really...that's okay. Sometimes those things are completely unavoidable. Just promise that you won't let your first day define the rest of your school year.

I still have a week and left of summer, so to those of you who are going back now...remember to be prepared and as crazy as this sounds...have fun. : )


You rock, Raven! Thanks so much...and good luck at your new school!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Awesome list - have a great senior year!

Raven M said...

Thanks for having me! This was a fun post to write. <3

@Jennifer - Thanks so much!

Marquita Hockaday said...

This is such a cute post! I think I want to print this out and give it to my homeroom class the first day of school. I teach Freshman, and I think this list can help them a lot. (LMAO to the advice of not letting a sparkly vampire in your window. Although, I must admit, if said vampire looks like Robert Pattinson, I might not heed this warning.)

Good luck with your new school and have a BLAST during your senior year :)

Laura said...

Just so you know, all these points apply to the first day of college as well. :)