“Bye, Mom” I scream from my car as I rush into the entrance of Coppell High School, glancing at my watch as it inches closer to 8:50 a.m.
As I am walking into the building, I run into a peer parking his bike at a nearby rack.
“I hate being seen on my bike getting into school. It is so embarrassing,” my friend says while glancing over his shoulders as if he has something to hide. Confused and taken aback, I awkwardly laugh as we make our way to class.
As peculiar as it sounds, this is not the first time a peer has felt awkward about how they get to and from school. They often fear hypercritical judgements from others who, frankly, do not care enough to make fun of someone based on how they get to school.
CHS students’ mornings start with one mission: getting to our first period class by 8:50, no matter what, unified by our shared fear of being tardy. However, how each student gets to school reflects their personal preference and the most efficient means accessible to them.
From walking, biking, taking the bus, dropped off by parents or even driving oneself, the journey to school is an integral part of a student’s daily routine that should not cause embarrassment or judgment.
In eighth grade, I had to bike to school. It was not my parents’ or my first choice in terms of how I would get to school since I had siblings in other grades. During the beginning of that school year, I felt the same anxieties as my peer who bikes to CHS, worrying what parents and kids in the car loop thought of me as I made my way to school.
Thankfully, as the year progressed, I overcame the awkwardness. Biking to school every morning allowed me a sense of independence and taught time management. I grew to appreciate the scenic route I took to school, which allowed me a calm start to what would usually be a chaotic day.
During my freshman year, I got my first taste of riding the bus since the ninth grade center is a tedious drive from my house.
Taking the bus to CHS9 had some negative setbacks such as early morning wait times at bus stops or late afternoon drop offs on the trip home. However, I was able to spend time with my friends who I did not usually get to see.
As we grow in high school, the daunting fact is that we simply will not be able to catch up with friends who have grown apart from us. The irritating time spent waiting during early mornings or after school became a time I looked forward to. As wacky as this may sound, the commonality of riding the same bus established a community among my peers.
Now at CHS, being a car rider makes the most sense so my parents drop me off at school.
Unlike pop culture clichés where teens force their parents to drop them off a few blocks from school due to the embarrassment of being seen with them, I truly enjoy the moments I get to spend with my parents in the car. Being in a family with three kids and two busy parents, I enjoy the quality one-on-one time I get to spend with them.
High school brings many adversities to students as they take on rigorous classes and extracurricular activities all motivated by peer-to-peer competition. In stress inducing moments, the ways we get from home to school should be cherished rather than causing unnecessary embarrassment.
Savor the ride, my friends.
Follow @CHSCampusNews on X.
