A Matter of Transitioning

#A Matter of Transitioning by Tyler Sargent [[Begin->c1]]

So you're off to Grade 9? First of all, congratulations! As someone who just barely got by at the time, I know how stressful it may be for some. Thankfully, things from here on out don't get too much more difficult. At least that's what everyone says, but really it's only as difficult as you make it. So how about it? Want to know a little bit about what you're getting into? [[Yes->c2]] [[No (yes)->c2.1]]

First of all, there's going to be a bit of a change in environemnt. Nothing too drastic though. An example is Science. See, for me in Grade 8 Science was just textbooks and occasionally a class experiment. But in Grade 9, that's where things get good. Beakers, Hotplates, Microscopes and many other pieces of scientific tech is one of the perks of Grade 9 Science. Another example is Woodworking, which you can do through Grade 9. All this however, is just the tip of the iceberg. [[Tell me more->c3]]

Well unfortunately, that's not an option at the moment. First of all, there's going to be a bit of a change in environemnt. Nothing too drastic though. An example is Science. See, for me in Grade 8 Science was just textbooks and occasionally a class experiment. But in Grade 9, that's where things get good. Beakers, Hotplates, Microscopes and many other pieces of scientific tech is one of the perks of Grade 9 Science. Another example is Woodworking, which you can do through Grade 9. All this however, is just the tip of the iceberg. [[Tell me more then->c3]]

Well for starters, you definitely should expect plenty of work, as usual, and on occasion some home work. Fortunately for me, there was almost no homework when I was in grade 9. Maybe it'll be the same for you. Another thing to note is that you probably won't be going outside to spend your back. For me, transitioning to Grade 9 resulted in me and my whole class going to the Cafeteria for a while, rather then going out side to spend that time. This may not be great for some people, but there are ways around it. For instance, you're allowed to leave the school property during lunch as long as you're back in time for class. Something else to know is that you aren't left with much catch-up time if you miss a day or skip a class. Typically, work done in a day only has a one day deadline, meaning you can either take your work home to finish it in your own time, or finish it the next day before you have to hand it in. However, there are some cases where it has to be done the same day, or not at all. [[That doesn't sound good. What else?->c4]]

While it may not sound good, you do have a lot more responsibility going into Grade 9. See, I was and still am a bad student. I'm often absent because I can't find motivation to get up and do what I need to do, or I just plain don't want to go do school work.It's a miracle I managed to even pass grade 9, but I managaed to with plenty of hard work. Now that's not saying you should skip days and work harder the next, because that's all around just a bad idea. [[It just seems to be bad stuff so far...->c5]]

While that's true, I just thought I shold get the tougher stuff out of the way first. A strange tactic, but a tactic nonetheless. See, I really struggled with grade 9, again it's a miracle I passed. Hard work amongst other things helped me get by as best I could. For example, help from the Guidance Office. Another one of the many perks with Grade 9 and beyond is the even bigger roster of help and assistance you can get. When I was really struggling, Guiance came through and offered me other solutions to be able to pass my failing classes with all by absences. This help varies from school to school, but its usually pretty similar. If you're not one to accept help from others like I was at first, no worries. All you need to do is put some extra effort into everything, and you'll get by just fine. [[Right... What's next?->c6]]

Well given todays society, going outside and to physical schools is a pretty bad idea. Which means there's a good chance you're switching to Online Schooling! To some, that sounds great! To others, not so much. Now unfortunately Online School doesn't come with all the hands-on perks like Science or Woodworking, but that's made up with convinience. For the most part, you can work at your own pace! Thing's are pretty flexible, plus you get to stay home if you prefer that like myself. And no worries, if you don't have a computer or good phone to do online school, you're school will likely provide you with a Chromebook for your work. [[Sounds ok so far->c7]]

Well there are some hurdles to get over. The first and most obvious one is your internet. If you don't have great internet, there isn't too much you can do to fix that. Worst case scenario you have to do the work outside of the Google Meet/Zoom call, and hand in your work when you finish. Another thing to note is that for attendance reasons, among many other reasons, you'd need to have your camera on your device on. Some times thats pretty flexible and you won't have to often, but it's still a good thing to do. And while there's the filter of the internet between you and your class, you still have to be polite and respectful. You may be in an online class, far from everyone else in your class, but there's still very real consequences to being disrespectful and rude. [[Duly noted->c8]]

Another cool little thing is that courses are short compared to courses in physical school. which means less time dwelling on something you may not like. [[Well that's good->c9]]

All in all, Grade 9 isn't too bad. Given dedication and hard work, you can make it through no preblem. same goes for online school, just with less Beakers and Labcoats. While yes this was a pretty short and simple explanation of everything, I hope you still make some sort of sense out of this all. So for now, goodbye, have a great day, and enjoy Grade 9 while it lasts. [[Okay->credits]]

#A Matter of Transisoning A short less-adventure-more-education text adventure written by Tyler Sargent, Grade 10/11 Created for Career Studies (online school course) [[...->c0]]