I remember the time when I was a 4th grader in an elementary school. I was 11 years old. I went to school like anybody else, but I didn't find school essential nor interesting. I was always alone everyday at school. It would be rare the time people said hi to me. I didn't find it surprising because I wasn't a person that talked, I was antisocial, an introvert, and isolated from many people. Kids my age had a lot of people to talk to, but that wasn't for me. I always looked around and wondered how long it would take for the class to end, which made me memorize the time schedule.
On the next day I forgot we were going to receive our progress report for every class. I was ready to see my grades. As the teacher handed me my progress report, my heart stopped and then it dropped. I couldn't believe it. I had very low grades that included 60's and 70's below average. I got home and decided not to show my progress report to my parents. Then I remembered that I told my mom that I was receiving the progress report today. I knew I was as toast as bread. My mom was so furious her eyes widened as she analyzed the paper and then massaged her temples. She fussed at me and told me to get my act together or I won't be able to pass to 5th grade. I began to feel a lot of sensations and feelings of many emotions of anger, uselessness, hopelessness, and most of all stress. How could I do better? How could I improve my grades? I promised myself that I would try harder to actually try doing better to improve at school.
I went to school prepared to change my ways as a student. I went to every teacher I had and asked them what I could do to improve and pass their class. They advised me to go to tutorials, and I decided that I was alright with going. I also went to the library to read books. One of the books caught my eye; it was an art book that had a very colorful cover. I looked through the pages; I was amazed I knew how to draw but not as good as those sketches that were in the book. I then decided to take an art class. The book really inspired me to do artwork. I became so talented at art that I got the chance to win a 1st place award. I began to like reading other books other than art. One of my favorites are non-fiction books. I learned a lot of interesting facts about our solar system and living things on our planet.
I went to tutorials for a whole week. It took me a week to get caught up with my classwork that I hadn’t in on time or quizzes that I didn't pass. I got to retake them, and I passed them with 80s above. I studied hard every day for upcoming tests and quizzes. The day finally came for the report card for the whole year; I would find out whether I made it to 5th grade or not. My heart was accelerating with every beat. I felt anxious waiting for my teacher to hand me my report card. She was getting closer and closer to my desk. She stopped and looked through my report. She gave me a look of surprise and then handed me my report card. I was shaking. I can remember the smell of the paper, it smelled new fresh out of the printer, and I remember the smoothness of it. I closed my eyes. I didn't want to feel deceived nor defeated. I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was commended with grades above 90's. I was so happy that I jumped up from my seat and gave a soft cheer.
I got home and told my parents my results. They were so proud and happy for me, and their faces went from a frown to a smiling expression. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't explain this feeling of accomplishment and success. I felt so proud of myself, and I came up with my own motto: if you try you´ll succeed and go on; if you don’t you’ll get stuck and fall behind. I worked so hard to reach this moment. I told myself ever since that I will always work and study hard. I became a very cultured student with As and B's. Now as a high school student I have learned so much from my past that has shaped me into the studious, intelligent, and responsible student that I am now. I can now see how I've improved my grades throughout school. I still remember the struggle I went through to get to where I am now. I can say that I feel like I took a lot of weight off my chest.
Everyday when I go to school, I smell the clean spotless high school. I look around and I see so many different people who are capable of improving in school like I did. It takes effort and hard work to get there. Remember that ´´if you do your very best, your hard work pays off.´´ A lesson that I learned is that school is an essential, interesting, and educational place to take seriously to have a successful future pathway.
What inspired me to write this essay is my growth in my education. This experience about myself when I was in fourth grade made me realize how school is very important to be successful in the future. And by this people should know that anything you work hard for can make you reach your goals. My writing process on this essay was to think about what to write for a college essay and this specific experience was exactly what I wanted to write about. The literary devices that I use are simile, rhyme, idiom, and repetition. I also used sensory details to explain further in detail what I saw, felt, tasted, and smelled in my school journey as a fourth grader. I structured my essay in sequence in order of events.
While reading this memoir I felt like I was the student that was having trouble to keep up with her grades. I really liked the details you included such as " I was shaking. I can remember the smell of the paper, it smelled new fresh out of the printer, and I remember the smoothness of it. I closed my eyes. I didn't want to feel deceived nor defeated.", this highlighted how important it was for Ashley to pass to 5th grade and how nervous she was to get her report card.
--Paula Simon