“Don’t leave without a pass!” a teacher says.

“Where are you going?” the hall monitors and principals demand incessantly.

Sound familiar? Welcome to MHS, which is actually an elementary school in disguise. The oldest of us are 18, adults, and yet, we’re still expected to carry hall passes.

The idea is quite frankly insulting. I carried little hall passes, which were usually household objects a teacher brought in, when I was in second grade. Middle school had progressed to the idea of signing out. And now, I’m back to square one, carrying a piece of plastic that says “Girls” on it to the restroom.

It’s ironic that we as students are trusted to not cheat on tests or we’re expected to complete 50 pages of reading for a class book. In other words, we’re treated like adults. But, we aren’t even allowed to go to the bathroom or print something in the library without a signed piece of paper.

High school is about preparing for the real world, a job. Neither of my parents have to carry hall passes if they wish to use the copier or get a snack from the vending machines. They don’t have to sign out either, with approximate times of arrival and departure from their errands.

Don’t get me wrong, I am well aware that there are students here and there who wander around the building to get out of class.

But, there are also students like me, who really just want to go to the bathroom, so they can concentrate on their schoolwork.

I’d like to take care of what I need to take care of, instead of having flashbacks to second grade.