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Chapter 4 Selective mutism and my junior high school years
My first entrance exam
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I had a parent-teacher-student meeting around the middle of the school year. The purpose of the meeting was to decide which high schools I applied to.
Under the local regulations we junior high school students could apply to only one public high school and one private high school. Most students' first choice was public high school. They applied to public high schools just to be on the safe side. I was not an exception.
At the meeting, my mother and I told my homeroom teacher which schools we wanted to apply. We wanted to apply to ε public high school and ζ private high school. My homeroom teacher agreed to apply to ε public high school. But she recommended us to η private high school, not ζ private high school. It was easier to pass the entrance exam of η high school than ζ high school.
My mother said to the teacher, "I worry that η high school is failing school." "Many parents who experienced entrance exam long time ago have negative image of η high school. But recently η high school makes a strong effort to raise the academic achievement of students. η high school is not a failing school now."
In the end, we decided to apply to ε public high school and η private high school. My first choice was ε public high school.
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Two month before the end of the school year, many private high schools hold entrance exams. That was the first time for me to take an entrance exam. I was quite nervous about my first entrance exam.
Before we students took exams, we were allowed to look at exam stations in advance. But when I went to the exam station, I got lost. So, I visited to Koban(police box) to ask policemen the way to the exam station. It was tough for me to ask directions, because I had selective mutism. But I managed to ask a policeman. When I arrived at the exam station, most students had already looked at the station and gone to home.
After that, exam day came. I could go to the exam station and take exams smoothly.
A few days after, test results were announced. We heard our test results from our homeroom teacher after school.
All students went out into the corridor. Our homeroom teacher called students one by one to enter classroom and told him or her test results. When I waited for a while, our homeroom teacher called me. I entered classroom. There was nobody except her and me in the classroom. She told me that I passed the entrance exam. But I showed no expression. I had selective mutism. "Aren't you happy? I heard from your mother that you worried a lot about your test results." I nodded in silence. "Just as I thought. Good thing you passed the exam."
In this way, I passed the entrance exam of η private high school. But my study was not over. I must pass the entrance exam of ε public high school. My first choice was ε public high school.
(To be continued)
Index of SM story
