“Try your hardest in life!”
“You need to pay more attention in class, understand? We don’t have time to make sure you do all your work and you need to choose to learn on your own if you would like to pass school.” That was what my teacher said the last time she tried to get me to do my work. And that truly was the last time. Even when I started failing her class, other teachers, or even ELA which had been my favorite subject, she didn’t say anything or even attempt to help me. But I didn’t care. I would stare out the window during class wondering when it would end, and I could go home and help my mother with her work. My house was small and looked like it could barely fit four people inside with dust and cracked walls everywhere you looked, and the same could be said for my school. Though my school was decent in terms of teaching they wouldn’t help students who they believed weren’t “worth it” or students who didn’t pay attention in class, which was me. I didn’t let that bother me though, until I found my passion at least.
Before I found my passion, throughout the years my mother struggled to find work, and I couldn’t concentrate during studies, which caused me to be an awful student. During class I wouldn’t pay attention, would play around when I was bored, and I tended to ignore teachers directions. But even though I didn’t perform well in school I took interest in literature and poetry which I had found from Hemmingway, Steinbeck, and other literary figures. Whenever I read their writings my day was immediately brightened as if just the words themselves were a shining light on a dark day. After discovering my passion for literature I slowly started to pay attention in school even though my teachers had already given up on me. But by then it was too late and school had ended, but that didn’t stop me from pursuing my passion. I looked at possible college applications after school that day and had a conversation with my friend on the phone about what college to go to. ¨Hey where do you think I should go?¨ I asked. ¨Ï don't know man, I'm not sure if you can even get into a college with those grades.¨ He responded. ¨Well thanks for the encouragement.¨ I retorted as I hung up on the phone. Without my friend's advice I decided to go to college in Fresno’s city college and California University. To my friends' surprise I was able to get in and even had an entertaining college experience but slowly like an old toy, I wanted to leave it behind and play with something new. However when I felt tired of studying I would just read the poetry of my inspirations Edward Field, Pablo Neruda, or W. S. Merwin and I would push myself to be as good as them at writing. Unlike in school, I would study hard in college and would take notes and ask questions when I needed help. Instead of laughing and ignoring teachers when they asked me to stop talking I would just sit quietly and try to focus as well as ignore others who would bother me, in an attempt to learn more about literature.
This cycle of studying and reading literature was sometimes a tiring process and would almost convince me to give up and just return to working in the corn fields, but literature was always my shining light convincing me otherwise. College was slowly becoming easier for me to navigate and learn from but I still couldn’t wait for it to finally be over. Currently I'm still studying in college but I still hope that in the future I can become a successful writer and poet. But I understand that may take many years of studying as well as working.
Now that I am nearing the end of my college year I am prepared to release my work into the public and start my career of writing. While I do understand the hardships and the difficulty of working in this career I feel prepared. As I walked out of the college room I looked behind me and saw one of my professors, as I watched he waved his hand and mouthed the words “Try your hardest in life!” I left that day with a good feeling in my stomach and a smile on my face.