ABU DHABI // It took two alarm clocks, the prodding of two parents and the incessant meowing of a cat to finally get 15-year-old Max Franke out of bed for school on Sunday morning.
For Max, and thousands of other students across the country, school was back in session bright and early, bringing an end to their three-weeks-long winter holiday.
“I think it will take a while for me to adjust to the new schedule,” said Max, a German Year 11 student at Al Bateen Secondary School in Abu Dhabi. “I’ve got used to sleeping in until 4pm. That means going to bed at six in the morning. I was going to bed at the time I now have to get up for school.”
Victoria Sjodin, a student in Year 10 at Al Bateen, also had trouble getting up at dawn. It took the ringing of three alarm clocks to wake her up – “No joke”, she said.
“It felt unusual today putting on my uniform,” said Victoria, 14, a Norwegian who had spent three weeks covered in snow gear, skiing in Europe. “I got very used to a different kind of environment and temperatures. Being back in school takes a lot of focus and concentration compared to what we did on holiday.”
Still, both were happy to be back.
“It was good to see everyone again after the three-week holiday,” said Max.
Victoria agreed.
“I felt like the break was long enough – like it was time to go back and start sports again,” said Victoria, who plays football and netball at school.
For 15-year-old Ojas Manish Batra, getting enough sleep wasn’t as much of an issue as making sure he remembered everything he learned the previous term.
“I was a bit nervous. I thought I had forgotten everything I learned in geography,” said Ojas, a Year 11 Indian student at Al Bateen. At the end of the first day, all the knowledge came flooding back, he said.
“I’d rather be in school than stay at home,” Ojas said. “The best thing on the first day is the teachers are always working with a smile.”
Teachers anticipate students will be a little out of focus, nervous and feeling fatigued when school returns to session following a long break, said Mai Saleh, a Jordanian physics teacher at Al Dhabyania School.
“They are sleepy and tired and they don’t like taking any lessons,” said Mrs Saleh, adding that she made sure to take it easy on her students as they adjusted to the routine.
Daphne Johnson, an English teacher at Al Dhabyania, said the first day back is always fun, but added they were excited to go home.
Mrs Johnson eased the children into their lessons, she said.
“They are mentally prepared for tomorrow. Today, we let them be. Tomorrow, we start the work.”
The start of a new school term is also a big adjustment for parents.
Asmaa Hilal, the Syrian mother of Al Dhabyania student Noor Alakael, said her daughter was happy to be returning to school to see her friends.
Mrs Hilal was also pleased. “Yes, I feel happy,” she said. “Now I have freedom.”
For the Stickells family, who just moved to Abu Dhabi from Dubai, the return to school was especially thrilling. All four children were new to Al Mushrif Primary School.
Nine-year-old Jorge said he was really “nervous and excited”.
“I was probably more nervous than they were about how it was going to be,” said Mrs Stickells, who is from Portugal but was born in South Africa. “The school has been a very welcoming kind of environment. I feel relief that we have reached this day and everybody is smiling and happy and clearly had a great day.”
rpennington@thenational.ae
