Grade 7 learners cannot wait to announce their arrival in high school. Parents/guardians are proud of their kids as they enter the next phase of schooling.
Lina Masuku (left) is a first year learner at Phumulong Secondary School in Tembisa, chatting to Sihle about her experience in high school “I love high school; celebrities come to our schools to motivate us” she says with a smile on her face. “And oh we also get to go on trips as well. But unfortunately grades 8 only travel once while grades 9 go to two trips.” She may sound a bit disappointed for not going into more school trips but that strategy works. You want to go to more trips? Pass your current grade. “So I’m looking forward to be in grade 9 next year” says Lina.
What exactly do these school trips entails? “We visited SOWETO theatre this year and we met actors from the DSTV’s drama Ifalakhe.” Lina’s brother is in grade 9 at the same school “my brother is in grade 9, they went out and had a braai for their first trip and on their second trip they went to the Goldreef City which was so cool!”
Is it all about fun, no work?
Hey you primary school people, life in high school is not only about trips and celebrities. This is when your academic responsibilities increase as well “I’m also looking forward to choosing subjects that I will do in Grade 10” Lina says with excitement at the possibility to make her choice on what to study.
Listen, this is also a stage where you discover cool things about yourself and not so cool things at times “I once got into trouble in class when I connected to the school wifi and started chatting on whatsapp with my friends, the teacher came in and I didn’t notice him, he confiscated my phone, yho!” she recalls.
The most important thing is to remember that you are still a learner and your teacher deserves respect “I apologized and requested it back, because if he had taken it to the office I was going to pay R300 fine” it helps not to always get into trouble; you will enjoy mercy with your teachers.
But wait we are in the 4th Industrial Revolution and this Generation z cannot live without their devices “at school they give us the laptops to do school work” Lina explains; oh so you can still have your device or the school’s device with you for school related work not umgosi (gossip).
First timers enjoy it, look forward to it; remember that when you work hard and passing your grades you will enjoy it even more and for the right reasons.