Before stepping into high school, many of us were given tons of warnings, rules, and horror stories by our middle school teachers, older siblings, or even social media. We were told that high school would be strict, stressful, and more difficult than anything we had ever experienced. But once we got here, we learned that many of those warnings were either exaggerated or untrue. In this article, we will break down some of the biggest myths we were told about high school and determine how true or false they were.
“You are going to have to figure out when your tests and quizzes are!” – Myth
Throughout my middle school years, I was always told when I was going to take a quiz or a test. There was always a warning about three or four days before it took place. It gave me time to study, as well as remind me of what I have in the upcoming days. The middle school teachers would always tell the class, “In high school, the teachers might only tell you once, but not remind you once the news is out.” I have learned that high school teachers have made it even more known when assessments are taking place. They have given me more resources and more time to know when the test or quiz is taking place. Not only is the myth non-existent, but I found the change in high school has made this easier than middle school!
“High school teachers won’t accept late work or unfinished assignments.” – Myth
In middle school, whenever I turned in late assignments, the teacher would always remind me, The reality is that high school teachers understand that students have lives too. If the student has a good reason, and it doesn’t happen too often, their teachers will usually be happy to give them an extension or let them submit the assignment with a small deduction of points.
“Phones are an immediate no-no” – Myth
In middle school, if a teacher saw you on your phone, it was either taken to the office, or you were told to put it away. Teachers would say that if someone is on their phone in high school, it is going to the office no matter what. While some teachers have students put their phones in phone-caddies at the start of class, many teachers let students keep their phones with them because they might need them for schoolwork. Many teachers will also let students deal with the consequences of choosing to be on their phones and let them miss out on the valuable material that they will need for tests.
“Students will have freedom with their choices” – True
This has been my favorite part of high school as a freshman. I was always told that the biggest change in high school was the fact that I was going to have so much more freedom than before, and that is true. I feel like I have control over my situations with my work, classes, clubs, and so many other things that I wasn’t able to do when I was younger.
“It will only take a few days to know your way around the building.” – True
When I first got to Berkley, I thought it would take months to get to my classes without getting lost, but after a few days of going down the wrong hallway or to the wrong classroom, I knew where my whole schedule was, and I could get to all of my classes without getting lost.
“You will have loads of homework every night.” – Mostly a myth
In middle school, our teachers would always tell us that we would have homework in all of our classes… every night. In reality, the only time high school students get a lot of homework is if they take hard classes or a test is coming up. In high school, homework is only meant to set you up for success.
“High school is a blank slate (academics-wise).” – Half True
High school is a fresh start, but habits still carry over from middle school. While you do technically get a fresh start academically, people who don’t put in effort in middle school can find it hard to break out of those habits and become successful in high school. If a student doesn’t study in middle school, studying in high school is going to be a lot more difficult. So, yes, students can change bad habits going into high school, but it is so much easier if they already have those good habits in middle school.
