Feeling: Tired
Listening to: All the Things She Said by T.a.t.u.
Tasting: Rice cakes
So today was the first day break after the (too-short) mini-vacation. It's always an interesting day-- we find out about exactly what classes we'll have this term, and we meet all our teachers, and form conclusions about what our classes and our teachers are going to be like. So I thought that I'd put my conclusions down here and then look back at the end of the term and see whether I was correct or not. It's always interesting to look back on what you thought was going to happen and compare it to what actually happens. So, without further ado:
Hebrew: My first class of the day, as it has been for the past three terms. I don't really have all that much to say about this class... I suppose it's going to be the way it was first term, kind of slow and lazy, with occasional days of yelling from Mrs. Levy about everyone coming late, and with sporadic bursts of effort, quickly extinguished by the kind of uncaring, listless tiredness that results from lack of sleep. Maybe I'll try and ask her to give me a book to read for homework that I can translate, or maybe I won't bother to put in the effort and continue what we were working on last term. I just hope she doesn't decide to force us to do anything incredibly difficult. I need a class that I work in but still have the chance to wake up kind of... slowly.
Differential Equations: My next class. I'm a bit apprehensive about it being my second period class-- I'm kind of afraid that I'm not going to be awake enough for math. I think I've only had math first term once, and it wasn't a productive term at all. I was on time, mostly, but the class was spent with alternating stages of either sleeping or trying not to fall asleep. Not that I feel incredibly bad about it, considering that it was MQ6 and all, but still. Math in the morning = not good. The teacher seems nice, though. He's a young guy, probably in his late twenties, and from what he said today, he seems to enjoy the subject. I've heard conflicting things about him. A guy in my class said that he was brilliant, while other people have told me that he's kind of strange in his grading system. We'll see about that, I guess... I just hope that he doesn't turn out like those teachers who expect their students to be brilliant mathematicians (which, granted, half my class is, but that doesn't account for the other half). He seems like a guy who would be able to explain things nicely and clearly, but I guess I'll have to see what he's like when he starts teaching. Okay, moving on...
Psychology: Same teacher as last term. I was thinking I might get Mr. Farbstein, who I loved for biology, but Ms. Reep is nice, too. She kind of coddles us a bit--- she teachers biology, which means that she teaches freshmen, and that's kind of visible in her teaching method. She's nice, a bit like a kindergarten teacher at times, but also seems to appreciate the fact that we're juniors and seniors, no longer freshmen, and tries to treat us as such. The outlines will probably be hell like they were this term, but, of course, useful in the end. I just hope that I'll end up doing them earlier this time and won't be scrambling to finish them the night before the test-- which, of course, leaves no time at all to study...
U.S. History: I don't quite know what to think of this class. The teacher seems to be the kind of guy that thinks he's very funny... He has this really 'American' humor that I don't enjoy very much. I think this may be a class that I will just have to smile and nod for, because I doubt I will find him very amusing. My prediction is that it's going to be a tolerable class, but definitely not one of my favorites. I just hope that he will make up for this by being an easy teacher, but I can't judge that just yet.
Photography: A class that I fought long and hard for. I don't know how it's going to turn out... All I found out today is that the equipment in our school is pretty expensive, and that we are to make a pinhole camera. I've heard that the teacher doesn't care all that much about the class, and that I won't end up learning very much at all, but so far... it was okay. Greatest impression in this class: Scary future-like revolving black doors that allow you to enter the darkroom, intended to keep any light from entering the room. They were pretty cool-- people would go in them and then just disappear. One funny moment was when this guy, who's really, really tall, tried to get in and had to bend his head to do it. The room's really dark when the overhead light is turned off and all is left is the red light, which is the only light allowed in the darkroom... he promised us we'd get used to it, though, so I guess we'll have to see about that. Equipment looks kind of scary, and I'm really afraid of chemicals that we'll be using, considering my incredibly clutziness, but I suppose we'll see what happens. Okay, next I have...
Lunch: So far, haven't found anyone I know during my lunch period. I found one girl, but she's getting her program changed today so I don't know if she'll have the same lunch period tomorrow. Will look for someone I know tomorrow.
Fiction Writing: My scariest class, by far. It's the class that I've heard only great things about, so I wasn't very worried when I came in. And the teacher seems really nice. Only problem: Apparently, every day for the next couple of weeks, we'll be writing stuff and then reading it out loud. I managed to escape reading today by lowering my head-- the lack of social skills I've displayed over the last three and a half years helped, too, because we were supposed to call on each other, and very few people in that class knew my name-- but I don't think I'll be this lucky tomorrow, or the day after. This is not good. Presenting or reading in front of the class has always been a problem for me, and this has been when I was allowed to write at home and have ample time to morally prepare myself for the grueling task of revealing my writing while not turning in a tomato. Or a mouse, 'cause it's never good when your voice starts sqeaking strangely... Anyway, so this reading out loud stuff is not good! I definitely foresee this as being a huge problem for me, considering that I do not write very well and that I can never write well on comand at all, especially when told to write about a particular topic, such as what I saw today. I'll keep you posted on this, but I can imagine many awkward, embarassing moments in my near future.
And then I go home, which is the nice thing about my day. Going home... yay! What student doesn't enjoy that? I really am worried about that writing class. This is going to be hard for me, I can tell. I can't even look at people when they're reading what I've written... let alone reading it out loud. I have a feeling I'm going to have to be practicing my writing, so if you suddenly see me spouting insanely long words here, you'll know why.
Okay, going now, after another incredibly long rambling session.. Please reply!
Natalie
