What you can find annoying in this post is that I'll be doing numerous comparisons between "what it's like in Poland" and "what it's like in America". Well, I can't fully describe my first impression on American school without comparisons, for they are what I base my observations on. I hope you'll forgive me that and that you'll like the story :)
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My first day in school starts with English. I walk into the classroom and take a seat close to the door. First thing that hits me is that kids do not talk to one another. No one does at all, even though we are all Seniors, so, except for me, perhaps no one is new to the school. Then I remember that, unlike in Poland, there's no fixed groups of students that have all lessons together. Here, students have individual schedules, what means that they find themselves in different group of people in every class.I suddenly feel lonely, I find it hard to start a conversation with anyone - because what would I say? It wouldn't be possible to hide the fact that I'm an exchange student, and for some reason I don't feel like sharing this with fellow students. Not yet, at least.
The lesson starts once the bell rings, but we wait couple more seconds before an announcement begins. It can be heard through the broadcasting system that reached the entire school at once. "Good morning, Davis. This is your morning announcements with Angelica, Lucas, Matt, and Candace (sorry if I messed up the names). Would you please rise and remove your hats for the Pledge of Allegiance." Even though I hardly understand the announcement, at this moment everyone in classroom stands up, and so do I. Some of them place a hand upon the heart. "Ready? Begin. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands. One Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." During the pledge, the teacher is looking straight at the flag and saying the words, but no student does so.
I know what that was, though I had trouble understanding words. It was the famous pledge to the flag that Americans claim every morning at school. At this moment I feel proud that I participate in a foreign culture and am not only a passive learner and observer (though I didn't, and never had during my exchange, said the words of the Pledge, remaining loyal to my home country). I'm like one of them, one of Americans.
First part of the lesson is organizational, we are given school journals (yes, school provided a Davis-themed school planner for each student, for free) and some information and useful tips. The teacher speaks English, of course, and uses words I do know, but from the context I'm unable to understand most of what she says about school. (I will later learn that the vocabulary differs from what I've been learning my whole life, see Exchange Dictionary to see what it feels like).
Then the actual lesson begins. We are introduced to Beowulf, the first poem we are to read and analyze during the course of English. In Poland, I'm used to being expected to read the work at home, remember what it's all about and then analyze it in class, what's usually preceded by a plot-knowledge test. Here, we read the poem in class. Each one of us is given a textbook and we read part of it. We are not supposed to read Beowulf at home, we will do it entirely in class. I'm astounded. That would suggest that learning rate in American schools must be really slow.
The next lesson is math, and what hits me in math classroom is a thirty-or-so scientific calculators, like handbooks, provided for every student in class. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a standard for every science room at school.
Nothing extraordinary happens during Math. Because my schedule has been messed up and I wasn't signed up for the classes I actually chose, I am about to change my schedule in the Counseling Office. I discover the part of school where there's a lot of offices and people whose job is to help student organize their education course. I spend the next hour on waiting in line, and finally requesting class change in an assigned counselor.
Then the time comes for lunch. I enter this huge building that reminds me of an airport terminal, which is cafeteria, capable of holding up to 1000 people at once. There's five different food pick-up stations where students compose their lunch depending on their nutrition preferences. I again feel lonely looking around for a place to sit. There's hundreds of students, eating lunch in bigger or smaller groups, while I know absolutely nobody. I think that even if I made any friends right now, there's a slight change I would be able to ever bump into them again. The school is just to big.
Fourth class is U.S. History that begins with introducing ourselves to the teacher. She gives us cards where we're supposed to write about ourselves and out approach to the class. I write, honestly, that I'm more into science rather than history, but that I will do my best at the class, that I'm excited about learning geography and history from a foreign nation's perspective, and that I can have some struggles at the beginning, since I'm an exchange student from Poland. That brought the teacher's attention who immediately offered me her help and support.
U.S. History became one of my favorite subjects, because it made it possible for me to see how the world is perceived by another nation. During the first lesson I realized that American's knowledge of the world is rather limited to their own country, and they do not know much about other continents and countries. When speaking of anything that takes part anywhere else than the U.S., the students first need to be introduced to the location of the place, to have a point of reference.
With the History teacher, I have a chance to some fun facts about my country with somebody from the school.
Fifth class is Physics. Initially excited, I soon learn that I'm likely to get bored there. Coming from a class with extended math and physics program, I find the topics covered being simply trivial for me. Our first task is to fill out some quizzes checking our physics knowledge, and I solve them within minutes. I'm bored for the rest of class time, so I read the textbook.
Sixth class is Cooking (or, the full name: Food & Culinary Arts). We work together since we sit around square tables in groups of four. It's mainly about introducing ourselves, though I again manage to hide the fact that I'm an exchange student.
First thoughts on an American high school? It's only the first day, and I've already found it sort of depressing that students are spread around the entire campus and they never form some fixed groups that would share classes. My initial fear is that, with such a system, I will be unable to make friends whom I would see with more than once a day.
Between-class break, or passing time, lasts only five minutes, and with the school being huge itself, it's just enough time to get from one classroom to another. As I watch crowds of students passing through hallways and skywalks, it reminded me of blood flowing through veins, with C building, the central and the most important building of Davis, being its heart. I'm used to much smaller schools, fixed groups of students and longer breaks, all of which allowed the social life to develop quickly and effectively during the whole school day. Here I struggle with it. Moreover, in the days to follow, I find it tiring and depressing that the schedule is exactly the same everyday. The days get monotonic, with nothing to differentiate between, say, Monday and Friday. I'm used to different timetables for every day of the week.
Well, it's all the matter of first few weeks to get used to the stuff, but I have to admit that first days and weeks into being a student at an American high school is very hard for me. Teachers are positive and enthusiastic, that's true, but most of the students, on the other hand, are rather indifferent.
What I hold on to is trying to get some attention among teachers, as I know that as adults they will be able to help me get around and, even, make some friends. That's why, before, during, or after class, whenever there's a chance, I talk to teachers individually and introduce myself to them, explaining who I am. It is nice to hear from them that my English is very good, because this is what most of them say. Often they are curious about Poland, and I'm happy to share some information with them, often referring to numerous differences I've already noticed since I entering USA.
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There's so much differences and phenomenons that hit me that it's impossible to write about all of them. I could write ten more posts just as long as this one and still have much more to add, so I'll just leave it here. I'm not going to conceal that I feel somewhat insatiable with limiting myself to what I've written, but then I don't want to bore you to death :P
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