Transitioning from nine years of online schooling to a public school was a huge transition that challenged me by stepping out of my comfort zone. School was always on my computer, and I could take it with me anywhere I went. The decision to move to a completely new school in the middle of my senior year was definitely a tough one. The cultural differences definitely made the transition a little harder, but in the end, I made myself comfortable here.
When I was doing my schoolwork online, I almost never wrote with a pen or pencil. Everything was on my computer. With that came schedule flexibility, as I could attend to my schoolwork any time and from anywhere I wanted. Sleeping in on weekdays was the norm for me. Going into my senior year, my school was having troubles, and I wasn’t being given the resources I needed. Eventually, I decided it would be best for my education to move schools.
Going into school at Norman High, I thought that the transition would be very hard. I mean, I hadn’t been inside a school since 4th grade. However, being here felt very natural to me. I didn’t find anything too hard and have liked my classes a lot. The hardest thing to get used to so far has been getting used to being around this many people. Being at home most of the time, I wasn’t around too many people. I’m the last kid in the house, so it’s pretty quiet around there. Although I am a pretty social person, it was an adjustment.
Something that I’ve had to get used to is being at a school from 9-4 every weekday. Back when I did online school, I could do all sorts of things during the week. Spontaneous decisions like going to Boston on a random week would definitely keep me on my feet. Now that I’m on a tight schedule, things like that don’t really happen. In all honesty, knowing this was the reason I didn’t switch over to public school sooner than I did.
From culture shock to schedule changes and even joining classes 4 weeks into the school year, starting public school was definitely a huge step out of my comfort zone. In the end, I adjusted to this new school setting and schedule. Making new friends and taking classes that I wouldn’t be able to take otherwise has shown me the transition was well worth it.
