My eyes open, and I know it’s just before 6 a.m. — not by the pitch black of the sky outside or the blinking green numbers of my phone but by the mere fact that I am awake. The bubbling sound of the brewing coffee lends me just enough energy to roll out of my bed on minimal sleep. Outside, the first strains of pinks, orange, purple and yellow bleed as if through canvas, dying the sky into a beautiful medley of colors I can only enjoy for a brief moment before hurrying to another morning of early math class.

When second semester of the 2011 – 2012 school year rolled around, I hesitantly signed up for the new addition to Palo Alto High School’s wide array of math courses: Multivariable Calculus, also known as Math 253H, which was slated to meet at 7:15 a.m. every school day. This kind of early morning class was not exactly “new” to Paly, with 0 period Physical Education having been previously offered to athletes and ambitious students wanting an extra prep period or class. For those who have never taken an early morning class, giving up an additional hour of dark mornings every day may seem trivial, but for me, I found the experience, spread over the course of 18 weeks, one of the most challenging and rewarding adventures (yes, math can be an adventure) of my life.

I don’t say this to simply promote Multivariable Calculus as a course but to share my experiences with an early morning class, which can be a great opportunity to broaden one’s horizons on limited times. I’m sure this applies to any other students in a 0 period class.

I’ll never forget the special moments of the course, like turning in my first math assignment via “Web Assign,” the online program supplementing our textbook material or the first 7:15 a.m. math test, during which my brain practically ran on the caffeine I guzzled in the place of breakfast. Going to class early opened other doors too, like being able to see the graffiti at Paly before it was fully taken down.

One of the best moments? Walking into an enormous breakfast buffet of breakfast burritos, pastries, fruit and warm bacon and ham slices generously provided by Principal Phil Winston.

Most importantly, I’ll always remember the stimulating course material and being able to challenge myself in a subject I truly value and enjoy. With greater stakes come greater emotions. So while I experienced enormous terror of hearing “pop quiz” at 7:15 in the morning, I also felt unparalleled satisfaction at successfully finishing the said pop quiz or finally mastering a particular topic. That’s another thing early morning classes offer: extra opportunity to delve into one’s interests.

And then there’s the sentimental: something about the mutual “suffering” of waking up to the freezing cold mornings and pushing our brains to their morning limits draws a community together. In this case, it was the class. Every morning, I could depend on hearing junior Aaron Slipper sing his early morning greeting and senior Bolton Bailey running to keep warm, still holding his tea mug. I’ll miss that. I’ll even miss the silly bickering over who would receive extra credit for explaining homework problems to the rest of the class. And mostly, I’ll miss our common love for mathematics. There is an almost dogged dedication shared among us students willing to give up precious sleep to attend early morning classes.

But I cannot gloss over the less glamorous aspects of early morning class: While I highlight the benefits of 0 period classes, at the same time, I warn students against biting off more than they can chew. Early morning classes can be extremely stressful, especially with a rigorous class like Multivariable Calculus coupled with college applications for seniors. As I truly enjoyed the subject, I survived. I managed to cling to sanity despite my lack of sleep because I found the lectures and material interesting enough to be worth the troubles. But I came close to being the stereotypical stressed high school student that no one wants to be pinned down as. The bags I developed under my eyes serve as my evidence.

As the class draws to an end (after a three-part final), I take a look back at the past weeks and fondly say a bittersweet farewell. This course was just another opportunity to take, just like any other conscious or unconscious choice made by students. It comes with both benefits and drawbacks. If you’re thinking about taking Multivariable Calculus or any other early morning class, as my Economics Teacher Grant Blackburn would say, do your personal trade-off analysis.

Just know, there’s nothing like early morning classes for seeing a beautiful sunrise.