First time in public school?

[Globb]

I've been homeschooled all my life and I'm going to public school starting in August. I'll be in 10th grade and I'm am pretty terrified. I apparently have to have like 8 vaccines and a physical, neither of which I have ever had.
How early do I wake up? What is P.E like? Do I have to change in front of other people >.< ? What the heck are lockers?! And how much free time should I have?
I have a ton of questions, and I have no idea what to expect ; - ;
Any advice would be great.

[Body odah Man]

I've been homeschooled all my life and I'm going to public school starting in August. I'll be in 10th grade and I'm am pretty terrified. I apparently have to have like 8 vaccines and a physical, neither of which I have ever had.
How early do I wake up? What is P.E like? Do I have to change in front of other people >.< ? What the heck are lockers?! And how much free time should I have?
I have a ton of questions, and I have no idea what to expect ; - ;
Any advice would be great.

I'll try to answer your questions as best I can. Here goes
1. You wake up round 30 minutes or so before you need to leave for school (40 if you have to shower) so you can have a leisurely breakfast and don't need to rush.
2.P.E. is hell if you're physically unfit; pretty fun if your condition is all right and the people you have P.E. with are friendly
3. Changing for P.E. is just wearing a gym uniform (pants and shirt switch). You get to keep your undergarments on so it's not creepy/uncomfortable at all.
4. Lockers are these compartments with a lock in which you can store your valuables during class. They can be quite handy. You also have gym lockers where you leave your gym equipment on days you don't bring it home to wash it.
5. Free time you have depends on level of education, your intelligence, how many tests you have, whether you do homework, etc. etc. Expect AT LEAST an hour or so of free time if you're not a die hard nerd.

Some other general information:
You will be in classes with other people, some of whom might have bad hygiene, be asses, spray you with perfume if you smell, pretend to be your friend, be immature (the guys mostly tho tenth grade we tend to mature a bit). The class level will be low to make sure that everyone can handle it so it might be too slowpaced for you if you've been homeschooled. You'll also have multiple teachers and classrooms and (unless american highschool is different; I moved to Europe after middle school) the same schedule every day. I wish you lots of luck and hope my answers have helped

[Jaffe]

Whoa! Lots of questions. But valid questions. I had this same issue when I moved to the US a few years ago. It was scary! And I will start 10th grade next month.
So I will try.....
I apparently have to have like 8 vaccines and a physical, neither of which I have ever had.
Vaccines vary by state, and I don't know where you are from. I had to have 4 or 5, but I had to have different ones to even get into the USA, so it's probably the same. Some states don't let schools require vaccinations, others do. So, all you can do is suck it up and get the shots!
The physical exam, yeah you have to. But they aren't bad. I had one to get into school, and one every year for swimming/sports. In the US, they are easy! You won't have any problem. You will have to strip most of the way, but here, they give you a gown to wear, then of course they touch you everywhere because how else would they know if you are healthy. But it really isn't bad at all.

How early do I wake up?
Ummm... Depends. What time does school start? Do you take the bus/train, or get a ride, or walk, or ... ?? The first week, get up way early. That way you won't be stressed about being late. In a week, you will know the schedule and you can change the time you wake up.

What is P.E like? Do I have to change in front of other people >.< ?
PE is ... frightening at first. And whether you change or shower with other people depends on where you live. In California, you are not required to shower, and are not required to wear any special clothing for PE, so its entirely up to you whether you change or shower or anything else. But if you don't at least change, you might stink the rest of the day... not a cool way to make friends! And some states do require you change, and some even require that you shower. But you know what? Everybody else is thinking the same thing you are, and doesn't want to do it, and will try their hardest to completely ignore you.

What the heck are lockers?!
Lockers are places you put your books and hoodie/jacket and whatever. There are also PE lockers, where you leave your gym uniform/kit if your state requires it. They are just huge metal boxes, lined up and down the wall, with locks on them. So only you can get into yours, and you can't get into anyone else's. You will figure that out the first day. If you want practice for a locker, ask your parents to show you how to use a combination lock, that will make it easier for you the first time.

And how much free time should I have?
That is entirely up to your school. I have one study period each day, but its in the middle of the day and I am not allowed to leave campus during study period. Mostly, you are stuck at school and in class, which might be a lot different than home schooling.

Other questions you think of? Ask!

Edit to add: Body odah Man has a good point. Some schools have the same schedule every day, where you go to 6-7 different classrooms, but they are always the same rooms, in the same order. But some high schools have A-B days... meaning, one day you have A schedule, the next day B schedule, the next day A again, and so on. If your school is A-B, they will give you a calendar that you should take home and put where you will see it all the time. It does NOT follow the days of the week, it just alternates school days back and forth. So just keep the calendar where you can see it, and where your parents can see it, and you will know what classes to go to each day. Still, on A day, the classes are always in the same place and in the same order, and on B day the same rule applies. It seems confusing, but after a couple days, it's easy. And remember... every kid there has the same problem figuring it out!

[Body odah Man]

Whoa! Lots of questions. But valid questions. I had this same issue when I moved to the US a few years ago. It was scary! And I will start 10th grade next month.
So I will try.....
I apparently have to have like 8 vaccines and a physical, neither of which I have ever had.
Vaccines vary by state, and I don't know where you are from. I had to have 4 or 5, but I had to have different ones to even get into the USA, so it's probably the same. Some states don't let schools require vaccinations, others do. So, all you can do is suck it up and get the shots!
The physical exam, yeah you have to. But they aren't bad. I had one to get into school, and one every year for swimming/sports. In the US, they are easy! You won't have any problem. You will have to strip most of the way, but here, they give you a gown to wear, then of course they touch you everywhere because how else would they know if you are healthy. But it really isn't bad at all.

How early do I wake up?
Ummm... Depends. What time does school start? Do you take the bus/train, or get a ride, or walk, or ... ?? The first week, get up way early. That way you won't be stressed about being late. In a week, you will know the schedule and you can change the time you wake up.

What is P.E like? Do I have to change in front of other people >.< ?
PE is ... frightening at first. And whether you change or shower with other people depends on where you live. In California, you are not required to shower, and are not required to wear any special clothing for PE, so its entirely up to you whether you change or shower or anything else. But if you don't at least change, you might stink the rest of the day... not a cool way to make friends! And some states do require you change, and some even require that you shower. But you know what? Everybody else is thinking the same thing you are, and doesn't want to do it, and will try their hardest to completely ignore you.

What the heck are lockers?!
Lockers are places you put your books and hoodie/jacket and whatever. There are also PE lockers, where you leave your gym uniform/kit if your state requires it. They are just huge metal boxes, lined up and down the wall, with locks on them. So only you can get into yours, and you can't get into anyone else's. You will figure that out the first day. If you want practice for a locker, ask your parents to show you how to use a combination lock, that will make it easier for you the first time.

And how much free time should I have?
That is entirely up to your school. I have one study period each day, but its in the middle of the day and I am not allowed to leave campus during study period. Mostly, you are stuck at school and in class, which might be a lot different than home schooling.

Other questions you think of? Ask!

Edit to add: Body odah Man has a good point. Some schools have the same schedule every day, where you go to 6-7 different classrooms, but they are always the same rooms, in the same order. But some high schools have A-B days... meaning, one day you have A schedule, the next day B schedule, the next day A again, and so on. If your school is A-B, they will give you a calendar that you should take home and put where you will see it all the time. It does NOT follow the days of the week, it just alternates school days back and forth. So just keep the calendar where you can see it, and where your parents can see it, and you will know what classes to go to each day. Still, on A day, the classes are always in the same place and in the same order, and on B day the same rule applies. It seems confusing, but after a couple days, it's easy. And remember... every kid there has the same problem figuring it out!

There's states where they make you strip change and even shower?? Wow, I'm glad I never lived there; I'm way too prudish to like doing that. Detailed post BTW, I learned something from you

[Jaffe]

There's states where they make you strip change and even shower?? Wow, I'm glad I never lived there; I'm way too prudish to like doing that. Detailed post BTW, I learned something from you

Yeah, there are. I don't live in one... here, there are no requirements. But I do it because I don't want to stink all day. Only a few of us actually shower. A lot of kids change but of course keep the same underwear on, so that they don't have to get naked in front of other kids. It's kind of a pain to take your stuff to school to be able to shower, but I had PE last year in 2nd period, I didn't want to stink for 5 more hours. Not something I can handle.

[Body odah Man]

Yeah, there are. I don't live in one... here, there are no requirements. But I do it because I don't want to stink all day. Only a few of us actually shower. A lot of kids change but of course keep the same underwear on, so that they don't have to get naked in front of other kids. It's kind of a pain to take your stuff to school to be able to shower, but I had PE last year in 2nd period, I didn't want to stink for 5 more hours. Not something I can handle.

I've had P.E. first period in 8th grade but no1 ever used the showers. I get why it would be good to use them, but getting naked in front of others really really really freaks me out so I never used them. That, and at that age I was even less unhygienic then I am now.

[bruzer]

Yeah you change with others they have what you have no big deal there is nothing to be ashamed of

[Globb]

Thanks for all the answers :p
I'm a bit less worried now, but I guess I'll just have to chill and see what happens ;-;
It's starting soon, whether I like it or not, so there's no point in freaking out too much about it.