The brightness of the sun ceased to end. Rays shot through my bedroom window bringing forth a clean new slate. My body instantly awakens as I stretch my arms in the midst of the sunlight. Keen I am as I prepare myself for school and in a mere thirty minutes I find myself out the door and heading to my haven. In the back seat of the van, I gaze out the window noticing all the eager little bodies with their backpacks heading to the same destination as I was. We reach the parking lot and I jump out of my seat and out the van. After a quick farewell to my mum I race towards the vivid blue and white building. I reach the classroom- the centre realm of my serenity. The classroom was a location of my many victories and triumphs. It was where I learned about the difficult ABC’s and those confusing symbols called numbers. Despite the degree of difficulty, impossible was nothing in my eyes as success was always seen in the distance. In addition, there was the presence of all of my peers. Tightly sewn we approached all obstacles with smiles. From reading those puzzling ABC’s to writing those queer symbols known as numbers, we stood by each other as we shared the goal of achieving success-together that is. Once lunchtime came, we hesitated to go outside as the classroom scene was so appealing. Yet, we went anyway for an exciting game of tag could not be ignored. Then, when the bell would ring, we happily ran inside as our zeal for learning overtook us. The sole moment of sadness existed only when the final bell echoed declaring the end of the day. We slowly packed our bags wishing why there weren’t more hours in the day to spend in our serenity. We found ourselves outside with our mums grabbing for our hands to lead us home. My mum finds me and we go the van. We leave the parking lot and are on the road now. In the backseat I sit as I gaze back at my school to notice all the heads of the little bodies doing the same. We can’t help but stare at the vivid blue and white building for it brought us an entire array of happiness. The van turns the corner and my haven is no longer in sight. I turn my body back around and take a deep sigh. Gazing out the window, an exciting thought hits me. There is such a thing as tomorrow; thus, I would be reacquainted with my haven! I am left smiling the entire ride back home.


The darkness of the clouds gloomed in the sky. The vacant rays are nowhere to be found as the slate, itself, was covered in writing. My body is reluctant to move as fatigue is further triggered by the dimness of my room. Unwilling I am, as I somehow prepare myself for school and in a mere hour I find myself running out the door praying and hoping I am not late. In the front seat, I crouch down in my seat and in boredom stare out the window only to notice many others dragging their feet along heading in the same destination as myself. The parking lot appears and I slowly open the door eventually grounding my feet onto the cement. I turn back to face my mum for what I hope to be is a farewell, yet the van is already gone. Unsurprised, I gradually walked along the path to a now much bigger rusty old building lacking the presence of blue or of any other color whatsoever. No longer is there a single classroom of serenity, for now there are a total of eight classrooms and all cease to be considered locations of tranquility. For today I will enter four of them, yet these four are exactly like the others where failure and defeat coexist. A curriculum about verbals in literature and functions in mathematics awaits. The degree of difficulty results in impossible being everything as success seems to be nowhere in sight. In addition, I am left in solitude as the presence of my peers no longer exists. Perhaps our time consuming lives are too blame as now the threads of ensemble are shattered leaving each of us to face obstacles alone. When writing that difficult verbal test to doing that confusing work on functions-the only presence seen is of my own. In addition, the arrival of lunchtime meant not freedom but more work as it was time for extracurricular activities. Nevertheless, we hastily escape our classrooms as any other location is more appealing. Unfortunately, calamity strikes when the bell rings declaring for our arrivals back into the confinement of the classroom scene. The sole moment of happiness exists only when the final bell of the day echoed. We hurriedly gather our belongings, relieved that school had ended yet left wondering why there wasn’t less time spent in such captivity. We find ourselves outside and go about our own means home. I find my mum and hop into the van. In the front seat I gaze at the image of relieved faces reflected in the rear mirror; never had I seen such elated expressions. The van moves and we are off allowing for the sight of the imprisonment to diminish. I smile as I gaze out the window; however, my smile looses form when my mind is overcome by a depressing thought! Tomorrow-such a matter did exist and it meant being reacquainted with school-a place possessing all equivalent meanings of imprisonment. I am left sulking the entire ride back home.


Two very distinct perceptions of one place-one of serenity, the other of imprisonment; how is that a simple structure of a school building can stir both? Perhaps it is merely the complexity of life as time moves on; our eyes witness various views resulting in outlooks that differ over time. For something like school, our eyes must witness a total array of views from when we first set sight upon it in childhood and then into our adolescence days. And if the childhood version of me, who so keenly enjoyed school, looked into the future she’d be left dumbfounded. The sight of my present day state of misery and negative perception towards school would be of shock. The transition would seem implausible.