Ian+O.’s+FTHS+Decision

media type="custom" key="23941930"Coming to Foothill was not an easy decision for me. Leaving behind all the friendships and relationships I had established is not a simple thing to do. But in the end I guess it is definitely the right choice.

The ideals were simple for me: I wanted something better and smarter than what Fillmore could offer me. My parents knew that Fillmore did not offer anywhere near as many educational opportunities as Foothill, so they told me to go for it. My dad was a bit sad at first because he teaches the drama class in Fillmore and he wanted me to experience the class and the atmosphere it offered, but he knew going to Foothill was the right choice. My mom was very pleased when I told her what I wanted, but was concerned about me keeping up with the mass amounts of work that was going to be piled on top of me if I were to go there. My mother was concerned about the work ethic I displayed as a student in Fillmore. My friends did not say much, but whenever I brought up the fact that I was not going to Fillmore High School, they had a forlorn expression left on their faces. But in the end, the one opinion that counted was mine.

The day of orientation was a very weird day for me. I immediately resented the idea of school when I was forced to get out of bed at 7:00 opposed to my usual (for the time) 11:00 wake-up time. When I arrived at the school, no one I knew was there, so I stayed in the back and played with my phone for a bit. They then sent us up into Spirito Hall where music was playing and the F.I.R.E. mentors awkwardly danced upon the stage, which I thought was strange since at my old school, school spirit and upbeat happiness were resented and considered lame. My friends and I were always the ones laughing in the back at the ones who celebrated their school pride and happiness (if there ever was anyone). But everyone at orientation, except for me and few others, found it normal. That day seemed to drag on forever despite the fact we only played games, went to our classes and got out around noon. I liked my F.I.R.E instructors, but the games we had to play were very childish and stupid. So, in conclusion, the day of orientation was not the best first impression.

Going to FTHS now was probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. I am getting along with others and I am enjoying my classes. So far, the most difficult part of going to FTHS is the mass amounts of homework. At my old school, I almost never had homework since a lot of it I was able to complete in class or I just did not have any. Also, the quality and difficulty of the assignments and homework has been greatly improved compared to my old school. Now that we are four or 5 weeks into the school year, I am used to the flow of things. The teachers and classes are much more enjoyable and all the teachers have personalities - whether it is goofy or sarcastic. One of the biggest problems for me, though, is that every day feels as if it is exactly the same: same homework, same conversations, same assignments. But I still think that coming here was the right choice for me and I would do it again if placed in the same circumstances.

Coming to FTHS, like I said earlier, was probably the best decision I have ever made. I hope I can make the best of the opportunities I have been granted here and that I have a great high school experience.