This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Classmen Tier..... By Emma Anderson

A "kind-of narrative written in free verse." Well, that's how TALK author, Emma Anderson describes high school from her two weeks in vantage point. the writing is fun, refreshing and timely. Enjoy

Its been a few weeks since the Theater & Arts Leadership Kouncil (TALK) has posted something new on this blog, but as the submission this week will surely remind you, we're in back to school season.  And many TALK teens have been rudely awakened from the summer with another school year and a whole bunch of extracurricular demands.  

Just a quick note.. please come check out TALK at this year's Fall Fest in downtown Homewood.  As you may know, TALK aims to hold our own All-Teen, Multi-Media Arts Fest next year and this is an introduction to that concept- only smaller.  We'll have talented teen visual artists showing and selling their work, musicians, drama and literary folks as well as several features aimed at getting you involved.  Come by the information tent to learn more and tell your teen to check it out too.  They can even become an official TALK Kontributor and join the nearly 20 new Kontributors that were oriented earlier this week and who will be helping us at this Fall Fest event. 

At any rate, I hope you enjoy the following refreshing and timely piece of teen literature about the high school experience, from one of TALK's talented teens.  

Find out what's happening in Homewood-Flossmoorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Classmen Tier....  By Emma Anderson

Everyone who's ever gone to high school

Find out what's happening in Homewood-Flossmoorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Has told me

It's nothing like the movies.

 

If you get a 5 hour Saturday School,

Odds are,

You won't be left alone in a library,

And they'll be more

than five people.

Vampires

Probably won't be sitting next to you

During biology.

Lunchtime

Is called lunchtime.

Not

Musicaltheatredancenumbertime. 

 

Oh, and there's homework...

LOTS.

OF.

HOMEWORK.

 

So, why do those movies

Exist in the first place?

Why would they create

Such well known stereotypes

And plot points that we grew up with,

Just to leave us at the front door of our high school

To learn the truth the hard way?

What are high school students

Really like?

 

Seniors

They don't even need to be in high school anymore.

They've written their portfolios, applied to colleges,

They're just waiting for acceptance letters;

Might as well fill the time with more school!

Some don't know what they're doing,

So the slower the school year goes,

The better.

There's excitement and fear as college gets closer,

But at least senior year was easy and underwhelming

Not nearly as hard as when the seniors were....

 

Juniors

The year where homework, tests, and exams

Reach an all time high.

SATs, ACTs, PSAEs

Just as you finish studying for one exam,

You have to duck your heads

Back into your study guides to prepare for

The next one.

Finally granted the name of

Upper Classmen,

Finishing up

Certain required classes,

Signing up for college visits

Just to be safe.

Senior year seems so far away

For the juniors,

When really,

It's just around the corner.

When you're a junior,

You can't believe that just a year ago you were one of the...

 

Sophomores

Junior year is defiantly harder,

And the excitement and adjustment

From last year is gone.

School is simply school again,

Only with a greater feeling

Of confidence.

A year of high school

Has grown on you.

And you could consider yourself,

An Upper Classmen as well.

Homework gets heavier,

And will get heavier from there.

Driver's Ed begins,

But anything is better

Than being a....

 

Freshmen

The one thing high school stereotypes

May of gotten right.

Freshmen

Sounds a lot like

Fresh meat

Doesn't it?

Freshmen

The youngest in the high school,

Fresh out of the homeyness

Of 8th grade year,

Where they could walk

Through the junior high halls

Like they owned the place.

Inexperienced and lost,

Trying to act older than they are

To blend in.

 

 

But it will always be like that

Won't it?

Freshmen

can't wait to be

Sophomores, Sophomores

Can't wait to be

Juniors, Juniors

Can't wait to be

Seniors

And seniors can't wait to be

Adults.

But

I think for now,

I'll enjoy what I am.

A Freshman.

Schedule in hand,

Loaded backpack,

Curious expressions,

And all.

A Freshman,

A high schooler.

 

Happy Homecoming Week 2012/2013!

 

To learn more about the Theater & Arts Leadership Kouncil, please visit http://www.talksouthland.org/

You can find and "like" us on Facebook too. 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?