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MY first year of high school felt awkward. After leaving junior high at the head of my class with all the seniority the upper grade levels could afford me, it felt strange starting over as a freshman. The school was twice as big as my old school, and to make matters worse, my closest friends were sent to a different high school. I felt very isolated.
I missed my old teachers so much that I would go back and visit them. They would encourage me to get involved in school activities so that I could meet new people. They told me that in time I would adjust and probably end up loving my new school more than I had my old one. They made me promise that when that happened I would still come by and visit them from time to time. I understood the psychology in what they were saying, but I took some comfort in it nonetheless.
"A House Is Not a Home", a story written by Zan Gaudioso, reflects the narrator's initial experiences in his senior high school. The narrative emphasises the value of interacting with others and making an attempt to learn about new people.
In junior high school, the narrator was the student leader, and as such, he had the honours and respect that come with being the senior-most class leader. As a result, starting from scratch was extremely tough and unusual for the narrator. Junior high schools have classes until the tenth grade, whereas senior high schools have classes until the twelfth.
The new school was double the size of the old one, and to make matters worse, his closest friends had been enrolled on other schools. It made the narrator feel extremely lonely because he had no one with whom he could share his new experiences and who could accompany him.
The narrator felt so lonely and powerless in an alienating environment (new school) that he wished to return to his old school and meet his old teachers. In his old school, his teachers would always encourage the narrator to engage in school activities. In that way, he could quickly meet and interact with new people. This indicates the narrator's attachment to his old school.
Also, his old school teachers had already told him that he would soon develop to like his new school members. The narrator also felt the same way as they assured the narrator that he would quickly get adjusted to the new school environment and attached to it. They also told him that he would begin to like his new school to his old one.
In general, 'change is the only constant on Earth.' A change may also occur for a better purpose. It all relies on how we use situations to our advantage. So, rather than finding fault with anything that changes, we should think positively and be optimistic.
The narrator was also reminded by his teacher's words, in which they made the narrator promise to return to his former school even if he liked his new school more in the future. The author realised why such a promise was made: his previous teachers were attempting to persuade him that the new school would be great for him. Even though he knew the reason, he felt at ease when he heard those comforting words.
The narrator
Meaning of difficult words:
S.No | Words | Meaning |
1. | Awkward | Difficult to do or deal with |
2. | Strange | Refers to something unusual or unexpected |
3. | Isolated | Alone or apart from others |
4. | Nonetheless | Despite what has just been said or done |
Reference:
National Council of Educational Research and Training (2006). Beehive. A House Is Not a Home - Zan Gaudioso (pp.49-54). Published at the Publication Division by the Secretary, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Sri Aurobindo Marg, New Delhi.
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