A day in the life of...

Dripstone Middle School Year 8 student Georgia

Thursday, 11 October 2007

I walked to school today, arriving at 7.45am. I listened to some music on my MP3 while waiting for some friends. Then we joked around for a while before the bell went.

The first lesson, at 8.30am was Greek, which is an elective. I wasn’t very good at speaking Greek until this year, but Mr Kostas explains things in a lot of detail and it’s very interesting. He makes learning Greek a lot of fun and now I feel proud when I speak in Greek to my friends and family. Visiting Greece is on my ‘to do’ list when I finish school.

10.20 am - It’s recess. I hang out with my friends. I have tons of friends and love coming to school every day. There are a lot of people at this school who make you laugh.

10.40 am - The next lesson is Humanities. This includes English and Studies of Society and Environment, where we get to learn about lots of interesting things. Today we’re studying economics and what it means. Mr Capogreco asked us ‘what is money?’ and we talked about the $10 note. Sometimes he jokes around and makes us laugh. He’s a really cool teacher.

In English, which we will have tomorrow, we’ve just started learning about Shakespeare and a bit about his plays. He’s quite amazing and wrote tons of comedies, some histories and some tragedies. It is very interesting. I think Romeo and Juliet will be my favourite. I haven’t read it yet, but I like the sound of the title and people say it’s really good.

12.30 pm - Lunch goes for 45 minutes. It’s a great time for friends, food and having fun. I had a couple of friends at primary school but I have lots more here. I’ve met a lot of people randomly, just by walking around. That’s how I met Stephanie. She’s very cool. I think the best friends are the ones who support you when you’re feeling down. Sian is a good friend and some of the boys are funny (Daniel and Brendan) and make us laugh in class and even make the teacher laugh.

Later this week the Year 8s will get to choose our Wednesday afternoon activity. I’m thinking about doing judo, so I went and talked with Mr McMahon. He’s been all around the world playing judo. He said that it’s good for your mind and body and that it will help me make good decisions in life. Judo is more than just a self-defence activity.

1.15 pm - Maths and Science is one of the most important subjects for me. We’re doing algebra. Some bits are hard but Mr Bloomfield makes it fun and helps me when I need it. Learning pi was very hard for me but yesterday most of it clicked and now I understand it. When you start to understand things more, your brain turns your mind around.

I’m thinking about two goals for when I leave school. One is to be a meteorologist and the other is to be a pharmacist. That’s why science is important to me. Ever since I was in Year 5, I have loved watching things like the weather and predicting it. The good thing about pharmacy is that you get to help people and help them survive. If it’s something you like to do you become good at it.

ART

My very favourite subject is art. We don’t have art today but I can’t wait until the next lesson, which is on tomorrow. The best thing I like about art is that it makes you feel free. You can be creative with yourself and be whoever you can to the best of your ability. There’s no right and no wrong - just my way.

I love sculpting and drawing but clay is my favourite kind of thing. It’s messy work but it’s really, really fun.

SRC

I’m also the Student Representative Council member for my class. It’s a lot of fun and a good way to help the school community. I think SRC is a good idea for all schools because it shows how much you can work with people. We get to talk about issues and how to make the school better. One of the things we’ve done this year is design the new uniform in consultation with all students.

Our school is very organised at everything we do. The teachers always help you understand everything. You feel free when you’re here and very safe.

Middle Years

I like the Middle Years school idea and think it will be pretty good. It’s more for my age kids and we won’t feel so odd. It will be more relaxing and won’t be so packed.

3.00 pm - Now it’s time to go home. I’ll take a rest, have something to eat, and do my homework before going for a ride on my bike. Usually on Thursdays I do Greek Dancing, but it’s not on today. I’ll take our dog Diesel for a walk instead. Then it will be time for dinner and a few chores - and I’ll spend some time with my family.