The Renaissance

Alright, I know I promised a blog comparing the middle school years to the Dark Ages, but that didn't seem very compelling. Nor did it make much sense. I don't know what's been going on lately, but suddenly many of my classmates seem to have wised... Wised up. Wisened? (With a few exceptions, perhaps including myself, judging by that last sentence.) It's actually rather frightening. And interesting.

Ooh! I know what I'm writing about! Our emergence into the Renaissance! Yes! I can save this blog post yet with history!

Sadly, I know this renaissance to be short-lived, as we are on the brink of beginning high school, commonly known as The Bottomless Pit of Despair, Confusion, Friend Loss, Work, Unintelligent People, and Chick-Lit Inspiration. TBPDCFLWUPCLI. Yup. That's the nickname.

"I've never heard that before," says the omniscient annoying reader.

"No one cares about what you think! Jump into TBPDCFLWUPCLI, where you belong!"

Nadia, says Gregor. Do not use that kind of language in my blog!

"But it's my blog! Not yours," I respond.

Well, while you're under my URL, you obey my rules.

"It's not your URL, though! This site isn't--" I start.

Nadia! Gregor slowly says, warning.

"Fine, Gregor."

Now say sorry.

Sigh. "Sorry, omniscient annoying reader... Jerk," I add under my breath.

The omniscient reader blows a raspberry at me. How insolent of her!

Man, I need to gain some control over the figments of my imagination.

Anyway, back to the discussion. Yeah, I expect that once we enter high school, things will go more or less back to normal. So, I will soak up the mild intelligence of fellow eighth graders. Well, most of the female eighth graders anyway.

It seems like most 8th graders have cared less about dating, popularity, gossip, and many of us have become well-read (for 8th graders). Of course, there are the exceptions, possibly there to remind us of where and when we are.

I have to say, the Renaissance feels great. I'm happier with less drama to worry about. People have stopped pretending to like each other and then talking about them later, and now are instead just sitting at different lunch tables--no more stupid pretenses! I think it's starting to sink into their brains--"We're fourteen. We're starting high school. Maybe we should stop acting like idiots." Ah, wonderful.

The Renaissance might also come with the lax feeling attached to the end of your middle school years. All the teachers have been saying, "We're tightening things up around here! One small misstep, and you're off all the field trips!" and things like that, meanwhile, we're choreographing our own dances in English, watching YouTube videos in science, and painting in French class (which actually ins't unusual--it's never been a studious/effective/sensible class). And this morning I overslept by two hours, and my mom--who usually goes beserk about these things--gave me a half-hour to get ready, and then we dropped off my sister, and then we stopped for some coffee, and then we went to school, just in time for the last ten minutes of 1st period French, where I did a worksheet in five minutes. The rest of the off-task class was hanging around, only half the sheet finished after 40 minutes, as the teacher struggled with the computer. She didn't care that I was late, either.

So maybe teens and pre-teens flourish with freedom and lack of pressure?

I don't know, but that must be what the adults around here are thinking! *Evil smirk at wondering what evil things can be done during this lax period of time.*

The end months of middle school rock.

Loving The Renaissance,
Nadia.

P.S. I have freshman scheduling next week. I plan to take:
Geometry/Algebra II
MST (Math/Science/Technology Program) Integrated Science
Advanced Freshman English
AP Human Geography
PE/Health (it's required)
MST Computer Applications
Advanced French II/French III
Study Hall
Do you think that's a good line-up? Am I really going to need study hall? I hear that the workload for MST students (I'm one of them) amounts to about 2 hours of homework a night. But study hall is an elective, and there are SO MANY good electives at the high school I'm going to, and I only get 10 electives in my 4 years. If I take study hall in freshman-junior years, I'll have but seven left! Six, if I need it in my senior year!