This section has some helpful tips from older students. They’ve all been there before and have probably experienced a lot of the feelings you’re having now. We’ve put together some of their advice for you as you start on this new and exciting chapter of your school life.
Don’t expect to remember it all at once, or to know everything on the first day. Everyone was a first year once, and nobody knows it all at the start.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you are lost. Everybody will be friendly and helpful to the new students!
Have a good idea of your timetable each day. You don’t need to learn it by heart, but check where you need to go before each class ends so you’re not stopping in the hall.
If you do forget a copy or a book, always ask the teacher if you can go get it at the start of class. Teachers don’t really mind if it happens every now and then – just try not to make a habit of it.
Try not to stop in the middle of the busy hallway to chat to a friend or check where your next class is – you may be holding up other students, including leaving or junior certs, from getting to class on time.
Don’t be too late or too early – don’t be there before the school opens and no one is there to let you in, but don’t show up for your first class right when the bell rings. You’ll feel more relaxed about your day if you allow yourself some time to settle in before class starts.
Respect your classmates and teachers. If you don’t enjoy a subject, try to bear with it – you may come to like it in time. Students who disrupt the class because they’re bored can ruin the atmosphere for everyone.
Subjects were the exciting part of secondary school for me. New subjects like science, woodwork, technology, home economics, art – you will have a chance to try them all out, and then you get to choose which ones you want to carry to Junior Cycle.
School can be tiring so don’t let it catch up on you too much – remember to enjoy it too.
