By Farah Merchant
Staff Writer

Place of education or torture chamber?

This is what I constantly asked myself during my entire freshman year when I was piled with homework, extracurricular activities, clubs and so much more. This is also what I expected when I reentered Coppell High School for sophomore year after the shortest summer I have ever experienced, but that was not the case.

When I entered high school freshman year, I was 30 minutes late because my bus arrived at my stop at 8:20 a.m. I had to run to homeroom grab my ID and schedule, then try to push my way through the hurtling crowd of upperclassmen.

The task of reaching my homeroom was nearly impossible, since the crowd was going the opposite direction that I wanted to go, but finding my class was even more difficult. When I finally arrived to my class, I was six minutes late and completely embarrassed.

This was not the case sophomore year. My bus, yet again, dropped me off 30 minutes late, but this time students were still in homeroom meaning I did not have to fast walk to reach class without being late.

I did not feel lost as I did freshman year, nor small or hopeless. Maybe it was because I was not late to class on my first day of school or maybe it was because I actually had classes with my friends. Whatever the case, the school did not feel as big, and I did not feel like an outsider.

It was as if I was awoken from a nightmare. I realized that school was never a place meant to keep kids inside, forcing them to regurgitate useless information. School, especially this school, was a place where people were given new opportunities.

I have always loved writing, but I never expected to be a part of a newspaper where I was able to express my ideas freely. As I write this, I feel free. I am able to do what I want to, and I realize that things are never as bad as they seem.

If someone asked me today if I found school stressful, the answer would still be yes. If someone asked me do you love school, the answer would still be no. But if someone asked me whether I thought of school as a prison or torture chamber, my answer would be no, because this school has offered me many opportunities as well as allowed me to make lifelong friends.