Going to a private school is quite the experience and there are certain things that kids who went to public school will never understand. Even if it was just high school or your whole school experience, these are some things you will relate to on a deep level.
1. The feeling you get when there is a dress down day.
Jeans day, t-shirt day, full-on dress down day. Spending a day not in dress code or in a uniform is worth the one to five dollars they ask you for. It just makes any day better and makes going to school a little less awful.
2. When you stay up too late the night before chapel and struggle to stay awake.
You always went to bed early the night before chapel. No matter how devoted you are, it is impossible to stay awake during chapel when you were up until 4 a.m. the night before.
3. You have those Bible stories memorized.
Noah, got it. Jonah, got it. Joseph, got it. Story of Jesus, totally memorized. Started from those thin little illustrated books that you read each week to the Bible itself, you know all the stories and various versions.
4. Memory assignments.
Hoping that the memory for this week is as simple as John 3:16, but dreading the time of year where it was the whole first chapter of Matthew. Hoping it is a fill in the blank and not reciting but either way learning it the night before.
5. Finding a dance dress that still fits dress code length requirements.
This one is too short. This one is too low cut. This one is doesn't have the right straps. Oh wait, right length, right cut, decent price, not your style or color. Wear it or roll the dice and risk getting written up? That is the real question.
6. Purposely breaking dress code so you could wear the hoodie or sweat pants they gave you.
My old high school had bright orange pants and hoodies, trying to scare us out of wanting to wear them. Well if they really didn't want us to wear them they shouldn't have made them so comfy. It was like they wanted us to break the dress code.
7. Your favorite song was "I am a C"
Every private elementary school had a music class where at least once a week you would just sing and everyone's favorite was "I Am A C." It got requested at least twice a class.
8. Trying to get all your service hours in, usually last minute.
You get about 6 months to perform 24 or more service hours, no problem. Until it's already April and you realize you only have 4 and spend the next four weeks doing any and all volunteer work.
9. Everyone knows everyone and there is no getting away from it.
You know everyone in your class and most other classes. You know things are going to happen before they do and know as soon as you do. People know more about you then you know about you.
10. You have known the same people for forever.
I graduated from 8th grade, high school, and got confirmed sitting next to the same exact person, even after we both transferred to public high school. I still talk to guy who sat across from me in kindergarten. These people are always going to be around.
11. You will be happy if you never see anything plaid for the rest of your life.
Plaid is the worst thing you've seen in your life and you get flashbacks whenever you see a kid running around looking like they came straight out of a School Bells catalog.
12. The traditions were amazing.
I went to a Lutheran school, so we had National Lutheran Schools week growing up and it was the greatest time of the year. The awesome assemblies and dress down days, the days off. It's wonderful. It's what gets you through the year knowing when each fun part is coming up.
13. Spirit week was always crazy.
Spirit week means we get to dress down and goof off, it's the little things like this that excite private school students and make us go crazy all out for every spirit day.
14. At least one person from your high school goes to the same college as you.
"I have gone to school with you since I was 10. Can I please just get away from you for like 10 minutes?!" Generally private high schools will promote certain private colleges and there are only so many so it's almost impossible not to have someone else from childhood or high school there with you.
15. You are guaranteed some life long friends.
But through all that, you got to meet some pretty amazing people that you know are always going to be in your life. You've been through some stuff together that only you guys can understand and it's a bond that keeps you close for life.
