Tainted Grades (The Failure That Lead To Greatness) In my grammar school years, I was a modest student who put a minimal amount of effort into schooling and a great amount of effort into athletics. Despite my lack of academic effort in grammar school, I somehow managed to maintain a spot on the honor roll, which changed drastically during my freshmen and sophomore years of high school. In the year of 2011, I began my high school career at Gloucester Catholic High School. My first two years of high school were of great difficulty for me and they evoked one of the most difficult problems I had ever experienced. During those two years, I hadn’t any friends, or sources of comfort and I felt as if I were trapped in the depths of an icy abyss. This …show more content…
On the day of the test, a classmate asked me to tutor him during lunch and after twenty-five minutes of practice problems I managed to properly prepare him for the test. Soon thereafter, we had arrived at our Algebra 1 class and began taking the test. I proceeded by partially solving the first problem, but suddenly blanked out. I couldn’t remember the next step in solving the problem and for twenty minutes I sat there starring at my paper with tears rolling down my cheeks. I was frustrated to a level beyond belief and felt as if I were going to scream! Luckily I didn’t and when the bell rang I handed the test in with shame. Long behold, my test results showed that I failed and the kid I tutored received an A. After realizing that I might have extreme test anxieties, I then proceeded by solving the problem that would ultimately eliminate them. I chose to solve the problem myself and refuted the idea of receiving help (to this day do I refute receiving help). During and before a test, I would analyze my behavior and later systematically form methods of self-control to combat against my many test taking discrepancies. Ever since the day I took that Algebra 1 test, my cheeks have been stained by the tears of failure and I will never forget how it
I left that project feeling extremely aware and extremely at peace. After three years of struggling to find answers, happiness, and a sense of purpose, I began to appreciate my present state of mind. I began to revel in the struggle, confusion, and push of not knowing. And as I approached graduation, my high school experience suddenly made sense to me. I understood life as a system of games. High school was simply one of them. I came to realize that playing games was both understandable and necessary as long as we are aware that we are playing them. I realized that a major struggle throughout high school had been my struggle to resist playing its game. I spent my three years at boarding school governed by my passions rather than playing by the rules of the institution. And in refusing to play by its rules, I made it increasingly more difficult for me to function within its realm.
I didn’t understand why this had such a gigantic impact on my life. It not only caused a sickening amount of anxiety, but it made me unhappy with my situation in general. I couldn’t figure out why. On the grand scheme of things, a failed math test would have little to no impact on my future. Plus, I am surrounded by people that love me so much and whose love would never be affected by my shortcomings. Yet, no matter how I convinced my head that it would all be fine, my heart couldn’t be persuaded. Just the other day, I discovered why this had had such a disproportionate impact on my life.
This deep dive into self-knowledge occurred when I received my first progress report for second semester Ninth Grade Algebra. To say that I was put into a space of shock and awe is an understatement; I was outraged. I was completing all my assignments and turning in homework, but my poor test grades were obliterating my grade.
Along with my former eighth grade classmates, expectations were hesitant, uncertain, and frightened. To my surprise, I quickly grew comfortable, social, and began to support others to get through the tough transition. Being myself and discovering the good in the experience allowed me to help them navigate through the stressful change. My guidance opened their eyes to the potential opportunities for personal growth. I will pursue these personal attributes and views to help enrich the community at
My pre-calculus teacher walks forward with a large stack of papers and hands me an overturned test - normally a sign of bad results. I flip the packet over and I’m devastated by what I see. On this single math exam, I receive the worst grade I’ve ever had in a class - a 56. At first, I think that everybody failed, and that maybe there’d be a curve. But as my partner receives his test back, I quickly realize I’m wrong.
Cliffside Park High School has offered me numerous opportunities. I took honors courses in English, mathematics, and science ever year. In addition, I have taken three years of Spanish as a third language and an advanced placement class for U.S. history. Throughout the past couple years; I have been able to sustain a high grade point average of about a 4.4 (based on calculations made at the end of sophomore year) and make High Honor Roll for almost every marking period. However, my journey to where I am now was not a perfect yellow brick road. Instead, it was a path with many twists and turns that led me through many dark and awful experiences. Juggling all these courses was something I had adapted ...
My senior year stands out among the rest. Coming into my senior year of high school, I hoped that I would have a nice, quiet, enjoyable, and memorable year. However, it ended up being the worst year ofmy four years in high school. Within the stretch of a week and a half, there were four bomb threats made at our school. On the days of each threat there was a note found in the girls' lavatory.
Exam number one. The test to start off the semester. Bombed it. What seemed to be so easy, all of a sudden, got extremely difficult. I went blank. Scientifically speaking, I had test anxiety. Next thing I know, I’m sitting with a F in the class. A pretty low F at that. But how? All of this “low grade clerical work” was such a breeze. It was like I forgot everything I did for the past two weeks. So of course I panic. I can’t go into college next fall with an unacceptable grade like that on my transcript! I make it a point to study hard for the next
My Freshman year was a rough time for me. It was my first year in high school, and things were so much different than what I was used to. Everyone had their clique of friends. It seemed like everyone knew who they were and where they belonged. I was struggling to find my own place in the school. I was only 14 years old and it’s okay to not know who you are when you’re that young. But when I got to high school, I began to have a lot
High school is a crucial part in many people’s life. It is a time for people to grow, develop, and transition into adulthood. I am a firm believer in the idea that situations are what a person makes of them and I believe that I have created a great experience in my three years of high school. My experiences throughout sports have shaped me to become the person I am today. Throughout high school I have learned a lot about, not only myself, but also about my friends and family. I have experienced many things that I only thought happened in high school drama movies. The best years of our lives are quickly coming to an end. I’m not good with metaphors and all that figurative language stuff but I am semi-good at one thing, that is running long distance. High school is like competing in a cross-country race, shy and timid at first, but by the end people will see my true colors as I am crossing the finish line.
Eighth grade was the year where I wanted to finally create a better work-ethic for myself. Even though I had the purest of intents, everything did not go as planned. Of course, a drastic change such as the one I wished to achieve wouldn’t happen overnight, but I had to start somewhere. In the beginning of the year, I would try my best to get a head start on projects whilst putting forth my best effort. I had already started to have a more positive outlook on the year than I ever have before. New opportunities would arise and, for once, I would be able to take them. Along with this, I started to stay true to myself and delve more into my newly formed interests. In the beginning of seventh grade, I had discovered a new passion and eighth grade was the year I finally decided to take some action. Sixth grade me would have never stepped anywhere near a stage, but eighth grade me jumped at every opportunity to help out our theatre department. Having signed up for theatre classes, I was very anxious, but that didn’t stop me from establishing my own confidence to put myself out there. I am most grateful for this change because I have made so many new friends and have shared wonderful experiences with all of them that I will cherish forever. Of course, some friends came and went, but those few who have stuck with me through everything mean the world to me. I still have friends from sixth grade, and I have friends that I made just this year, but they all deeply care for me. I wouldn’t be who I am today without them, as cliche as it sounds. Even though my friend groups may change, all of them have changed me for the
Ever since elementary school I have been talented in my science and math classes. In school I didn’t have any trouble unlike my classmates in my math classes; I just imagined the problems in my head and solve them. From my first multiplication table to complex equation math was easy. I was helping students that had lower grades in these classes after school. I was representing my school each year for the district math competition. And because I never struggled in my math class, I didn’t study hard enough; it seemed too easy to bother. But that kind of mind set changed forever when I was third grade student. It was just a week before we were going to take the final exam of the year; my math teacher was handing out worksheets, assignments to do for the test. Me thinking I don’t need to study for it went to the test day without looking at the papers. When I took the test,
I parked the car and removed the keys from the ignition. While stepping out of the car, I looked at the paper that he had been taking notes on, and noticed that the blank piece of paper was no longer blank. With barely an inch to spare at the bottom of the paper, the instructor began explaining to me all the things I had done wrong. I felt like a little girl because of all the drawings he had made explaining every mistake. As I walked behind the instructor like a zombie, not knowing if that thought of failing the test was really going to come true, I could feel the color draining from my face. I was terrified I had waited so long for this moment and I knew all I did was wrong. I already knew what my mom was going to say when I saw her, of course the first words out of her mouth were "Did you pass?"
Last year at the beginning of the school year I was just starting high school as a freshman at St.T. I was excited about starting there because I had the chance to meet some new people and teachers. Most of the students I had already went to school with from kindergarten to when we graduated eighth grade together, and I went to school with a lot of the upperclassmen in previous years at Our Lady of Lourdes so, I wasn’t scared because I knew so many people already. Anyway, the first semester was fine. I as on the cheer team, I had good grades, and kept them up, and i was gone almost every weekend hanging out with friends. Then the second semester comes. I wasn’t going to cheer practices, my grades dropped, and I missed so many weeks of school
Everything is going to be okay. Life is going to hit hard, but you have to get up and keep going. Do not ever give up. Although you may feel like your world if falling apart, things will get better. I know the saying “it gets better” is cliche, but things thrully do get better if you continue to work hard.