Our Secondary School
What went down in 4 years that we didn’t tell our parents about!
30 October, 2024
What were your secondary school years like?
Our teenage years are a precious time of change in our lives.
But what do our teens tell us when we ask about their day? The famous “OK”, and if we’re lucky, “fine”.
To dig deeper, we checked in with a group of teens every year from Secondary 1 to Secondary 4. We asked them all the things that we as parents always wanted to know but could never get out of our teens.
Here’s what they told us. Some sound familiar (shoutout to our own growing-up years!), while others are new. Let’s go!
Get to know us!
(Awkward…)
What we look like in our CCA ‘fits
Wayne joined the Outdoor Adventure Club
Suhailah served with the St John’s Brigade
Sheena practised Chinese Dance
Esther played with the Band
Kevin decided on the Rock Climbing club
Maliki joined the St John’s Brigade too
Truth is…”I was scared”
“I remember the first day of school, I was like, half excited, half scared, because I was afraid that no one would like me.”
– Esther
“There is rock climbing, abseiling…”
There are so many new peaks to conquer. Most Sec 1 students find themselves spoilt for choice with the CCAs available, and all the exciting new skills and events that come with them.
“So far, the most interesting event I attended was the hike for my CCA expedition during the March holidays. In secondary school, there are way more varieties of CCA activities, such as outdoor expeditions and other fun activities.”
– Wayne
“I’m more talkative now”
“In primary school I was very quiet. I liked to be by myself. But now in secondary school, I talk to others. Sometimes if we go for recess, there’d be one whole gang of our class playing together. There’s no walls between us. We’re like one big family.”
– Suhailah
Hear from students such as Esther, Wayne and Suhailah on how they felt at the start and end of Secondary 1
What else was
“I was expected to behave better…”
“My studies is getting harder and teachers also expect a lot more from the Sec 2s in terms of our behaviour.”
– Sheena
Hear from Sheena on what changed
when she entered Secondary 2
“More activities, more distractions” 🙂
“Maliki got busy with his studies and CCA. His advice for staying on track? “Don’t get distracted, so you can move to Sec 3 next year.”
“We should bond with our CCA mates so we can make some memories in school. [But] I also want to make sure I am able to pass all the subjects needed for my subject combination for next year, so that I can enter the course that I want in future.”
– Maliki
“Covid put us in strange situations but we were ok”
“My friend and I booked a consultation with my teacher, and after she was done teaching, we talked to her and we played Skribbl together. It was quite cool, I guess.”
– Esther
*The Covid pandemic hit this cohort in 2020 when they were in Secondary 2.
What else was
“It was challenging because of how much more we had to learn”
Kevin took on the Triple Science subject combination – Physics, Chemistry and Biology – in Secondary 3.
“I got a huge shock in Physics class. My seniors said it would be mostly based on Maths so I felt it would be easy. But after the first few Physics lessons, it was hard to manage.”
But Kevin applied something he learned from the Covid period:
“Setbacks should never define you or your capabilities.”
“Leading isn’t easy”
“It’s a very huge change from Sec 2. In my CCA, I’m the Corps Sergeant Major. That will be a huge challenge because first of all, we’ll be working with juniors. It’s going to be fun, but I really hope that we can really bond together and fulfil the motto of my CCA, which is ‘We are one’.”
– Suhailah
Hear from Suhailaih on what
Secondary 3 was like for her
What else was
Hear from Maliki on how a
new subject in Secondary 3
led to… a new dish
What else was
What we
- Prioritise what needs improvement
- Not to give up
- Manage expectations
- Make a plan
- Ask for help when needed
- Set your own pace
- Work hard and try your best
How we’ve grown
“I’ve come so far!”
“In Sec 4, I was able to impart all my knowledge and memories to the dancers in lower sec. I feel very happy and proud to see them performing – it’s very heartwarming, like seeing your children grow up.”
– Sheena
“I’m proud of myself”
“I’m proud of Sec 1 Suhailah – without her, I don’t think I’ll be where I am today.
I enjoyed being behind the scenes for CCA Day. Planning… assigning people to be in charge of things… I’m gonna miss that.
It sounds weird, but I would say it was actually very fun to have something to stress about along the way. Of course, we will feel sad because we can no longer hold on to our titles, but now it’s time to focus on my studies.”
– Suhailah
Look how far
Our four-year journey with these Xinmin Secondary School students was captured in a project titled, Our School Life Project. Watch the full videos here:
For more interactive stories, read Schoolbag.edu.sg