It was 7:44 a.m. The neon red digits of my alarm clocked blinked as my eyes slowly fluttered open. I was about to be tardy to school for the fourth time that week … and it was only Thursday.

To clarify, this event (or chain of events) took place last year when I was a sophomore, before the new bell schedule had gone into place. This meant that school started at 7:50 a.m., instead of the current 8:15 a.m. starting time.

Punctuality has never been my strong suit — whether it’s school, after-school classes or Homecoming dance practices, I’m usually the last to come. I’m tardy to the point where my friends and teachers are surprised if I even manage to come within 5  minutes of the planned start time. In fact, last year every time I walked in late to Spanish, Mr. Yeilding would make the class applaud. In other words, I basically got a standing ovation three times a week.

Last year I racked up over 25 tardies. I quite possibly set a school record for the most tardies in one semester.  This also meant that I had to suffer through my fair share of detentions.

Although I probably did not receive as many as I truly deserved, I still had a detention every three weeks or so. It wasn’t a total waste, though, because detention was the only place I ever got any work done. That wasn’t because I was bored, but because Mr. Elliot would often walk by my table giving me sly stares. Naturally, that inspired me to do some work.

This year, however, thanks to the new schedule, I am now a changed man.

Even though I wake up at the same time as last year, I am still able to get to school on time thanks to the extra 25 minutes we have been given from the new schedule.

Although I do miss my standing ovations, I love my new self and this new schedule too much to ever look back.