Throughout all twelve years as a student, the English subject has always been my forte. I’ve never been the type of individual to blow off other subjects such as science, history, or math– but my deep-rooted passion for learning English had a way of capturing my utmost attention. However, despite this, I made sure there were ways to keep me from hitting rock bottom. Whenever I knew I was a bit behind in a subject, I vowed to stay after school for extra help from the teacher.
Being a 7th-grade student in middle school, I reached a stage in the school year that I believe was my breaking point. Though I was always able to balance being stressed out in school, I encountered a dilemma that was completely foreign to me. I was in constant battle with a teacher that I didn’t get along with– my first ever experience of this nature. Consequently, my grade in the class began to plummet. My daily feud with the teacher hindered me from truly grasping the material; I didn’t feel comfortable asking questions when I was confused, so to avoid conflict, I kept quiet.
After realizing that holding my tongue in Math class wasn’t going to suffice, I took time to brainstorm how I could improve my situation. As I grew older and more mature, I realized that I wasn’t always going to have perfect relationships with my teachers, and I’d have to find some way to learn the material anyway. Ultimately, I decided to take it upon myself to change my mindset completely. Instead of coming to class wondering what new topic we’d argue about, I sat down and listened intently like the rest of my classmates. When I had a question, I asked– and though I still felt disrespected at times, I did my best to ignore it. Changing my mindset, however, wasn’t enough on its’ own for me to see improvements. I sought out tutoring opportunities, which ultimately brought upon the most drastic change. Instead of having my Math teacher tutor me directly, I requested that my counselor allow me to learn from another teacher in the department. I’d found a loophole, and was able to get the additional help that I needed to succeed in the class. By the end of my 8th grade year, I was proud of my grade– but more importantly, I was proud of myself.
