Switching schools and skipping a grade pose many difficulties for high school students. I was one of those fortunate to run into both problems at the same time, at the very beginning of my high school career. However, these were not the most pressing of predicaments. Along with finding friends and learning the class schedule, I also had to remaster Latin, a language that I had taken about two years before. This would not have been a problem if I had joined a beginners class; however, I had skipped a grade, and thus skipped the first year of Latin. Therefore, my sophomore year was spent drowning in Latin II.
During that first week of class, I learned several things; first, I was very bad at Latin, and second, my teacher was perhaps the harshest grader in the entire school. I was failing almost every assignment. Things were not looking good, and I was already stressed from my other classes and cross country. Everything changed, however, when I met my best friend John. Not only was John a great friend, but he was also one of the best in Latin class. Once he started helping me, my Latin grade began to improve. We would work during lunch, every study hall, and even during the five and ten minute breaks we had in the morning and afternoon. John lent me his knowledge and time selflessly, and without him I’m certain I would never have gotten through that year. Even though I failed the first quarter of Latin (the damage had already been done at the beginning of the semester), I was able to bring my grade up to a B for the remainder of the year.
Not only did mastering Latin have a positive effect on my grades, but it influenced my choice of career as well. Since I detested Latin, I decided that I was going to write my own language, a journey that has taken me to the University of Kansas, where I am studying neurolinguistics. These early seeds of linguistic study were planted during those many tutoring sessions with John. I’m forever grateful for the help I received from him, and for the subsequent finding of my chosen career.
