From First-Day Notes to a Student Guide

A Schedule in My Pocket

1Before my first day at Cedar Terrace Middle School, I, Samira, folded my schedule until it fit inside my jacket pocket. I had memorized the room numbers but knew nothing about the building. At the entrance, students streamed past a bulletin board. I followed them, hoping that looking certain would make me feel certain.

2Inside, I stopped beside a display of student photographs. My jacket had a broken zipper. A sign above the hallway listed room numbers for each wing. Comparing the sign with my schedule showed me that room 216 was in the east wing. I unfolded the paper and walked toward that hallway.

3Near the stairs, I met Darius, a student assigned to welcome newcomers. He pointed out that my second class met downstairs, although my first class was upstairs. Together, we traced the route on a school map. I marked the staircase nearest both rooms instead of trying to remember every turn he described.

4At lunch, I reached the cafeteria without trouble but stopped at the doorway. I could not tell which line accepted lunches brought from home. Rather than joining the nearest line, I asked an adult wearing a staff badge. She directed me to an open seating area and explained where students returned their trays.

5During afternoon advisory, our teacher asked us to check our schedules against the next day's announcements. A room change appeared beside my art class. I crossed out the old number and wrote the new one. Darius had helped me find today's rooms, but tomorrow's route would need one adjustment.

6On the way home, I found a corner of my schedule poking through my pocket. The paper was creased and covered with marks. I had not learned the whole building, and I still could not name everyone in advisory. But the map, the updated schedule, and the people I had asked had each answered a different question.