My Experiences In High School Education

As we pulled up to the massive elementary school building, I begged my mom to let me stay home from school, just once. As usual, she said no. Realizing my attempt to get out of school was futile, I shouldered my backpack, swung open the door, and trudged over to the front door. I would rather be anywhere else than here. For the majority of my life, I attended public schools. It wasn’t rare for me to fail a test or even a whole class. It was because of these failures that I would get even more demotivated and threw away the idea of working hard or completing quality work altogether.

For example, my parents have instilled in me a strong work ethic and a willingness to make sacrifices for others. My mother has a job in sales for a large software company, and my father is employed as a mechanical engineer for a small company that makes outdoor displays. My father works long hours on challenging projects; he leaves for work every day at five in the morning and comes home late in the evening. My mother travels frequently and has a busy schedule, yet seems to always find the time to get me to practices, meetings and doctor’s appointments. She has a knack for juggling it all. They are motivated by their desire to provide me with a better life than they had growing up.

My mother raised me, my brother, and my sister on her own for the first ten years of my life. My mother is the most hardworking person I have ever met, and she inspires me to work hard everyday. When I was ten my mother met my step-father, he helped me develop an interest in math and science, which eventually led to my interest in engineering.

A tradition at my high school for the senior class is choosing a city to spend a few days in before graduation. My class chose to go to Baltimore, Maryland. We had an action packed four days going to Adventure Park USA, Six Flags, The National Aquarium, a Baltimore Orioles game, The Smithsonian Zoo, and shopped around downtown Baltimore. I became close with classmates I rarely talked with throughout high school and saw a different side of them than what I had seen in the classrooms. My small circle of friends became even closer over the course of the week both individually and spiritually. My senior class trip to Baltimore was a memorable trip, a little chaotic, but it brought us closer together.

I was a 17-year-old pregnant high school dropout the first time I took the General Educational Development (GED) test. It was in the summer of the year 2001 on a beautiful sunny day at our local university. The GED test was to provide me with a high school diploma equivalent. I had months of preparation and practice tests. I was a fast learner and always well prepared. I was confident and very adamant in passing this test. That is, until I got the results of the GED test.

The past four years spent throughout the halls of my high school were filled with laughter, the undeniable mix of cultures, and the enforced golden rule, treat others how you would want to be treated. Throughout those four years I was granted opportunities to venture off to the city that has my heart, spontaneously volunteer my summer as a youth group leader, and meet the teacher who taught after retirement. And while I never could have predicted that life would turn the way it did, all I store is thanks because these few, however enormous events shaped me as well as my thinking towards the rest of the world.

Moreover, my family had a significant role in creating the person that I have become today. We were never well off. My father worked excruciatingly long hours in order to provide for us. This took a toll on both his mental, and physical health. Despite the symptoms of working as an underpaid air conditioning technician, he always found time to spend with my brothers and I. This included attending all school functions, for example, plays, U.I.L. competitions, meet the teacher nights, basketball games, football games, track meets, cross country meets and agonizingly talentless band recitals. Although this may sound like a lot, even for a parent, to my dad, this was mandatory. If his son or daughter was involved, he was there, whether we liked it or not. This level of dedication influenced myself immensely. No matter what I did, I knew I had someone that would be there to cheer me on, whether I was the best on the team, or the worst. Additionally, my mother was the same way.

Anyone that believes high school is the best four years of your life is grossly misinformed. That would mean the highlight of our lives consists of puberty, standardized testing, and awkward conversations. It’s a constant battle for respect from peers that believe themselves better than others. Regardless of our role in the hierarchical atmosphere, a large portion of high school students get sucked into the whirlwind of spirit and pride. I know I did. How could we not? We spend our friday nights freezing at sporting events to support our friends, our family, and our high school: the only identifying piece of information fellow Missouri residents will ask us about for decades. I’ve been out of high school for less than two years, but the most commonly asked questions among new friends and coworkers still remains: where did you go to high school? Personally, I attended Parkway South. I never planned to go back to high school but a service learning opportunity presented itself and I took an unexpected path.

The first day of school can be a little intimidating, especially if it is in a country where you do not know anyone. That’s how my first day at Columbia International College was (felt). However, my expectations of what I thought would be a solitary day, changed the moment I met Alex. Alex is a friendly and charismatic guy from Hsinchu, Taiwan. He introduced me to his friends and showed me the school throughout the day. As time went by, I fell in love with that high school and everyone in it. Looking back, one of the most cherished memories I have from high school is the one when someone changed my high school experience with a simple hello.

Education has always played an important role in my life. Being the oldest child I have always felt the pressure of needing to do my very best in everything that I do. This has its benefits, but it also has its discouragements. Being pushed to do my absolute best is something that I am thankful for today because it was brought me along the path of being the best student I can be and it helped set an example for my younger brother.

I recollect the day I initially strolled through the hallways of Shea high school. Glancing back at those three years of torture, I'm understanding what number of life lessons I've learned. I call high school a joke consistently in light of the fact that I think 90 percent of the classes we were required to take won't help us at all later on. I think what is really realized in high school does not originate from the books; it originates from the general population you encircle yourself with and the conditions you are in. You find out about existence and you find out about yourself. I need to share my knowledge to you since it might soak in somewhat better originating from a new high school graduate as opposed to your folks.

Whats that? Don't you just love that sound? Ahhh the sound of school calling at 6:30 in the morning. And what school do you ask? High school of course! Now when you think of high school, what do you think of? The excitement, anticipation, or joy? I for one was one of those people who was ready to be a high school freshman. Like most, I craved that high school experience. As a child, I believed that high school musical was real and that my high school experience would be amazing, but truth be told it wasn’t as joyous as I’d thought. I can’t necessarily say that these years were my worst years, but they weren’t my best either. Truth be told the four years I’ve spent in high school were some of my most enlightening. I’ve learned so much about who Raesha was and who she wanted to be. Honestly, without the trials and tribulations of these four years, I doubt I would be here, at the illustrious Clark Atlanta University.

On the last day of a two-week summer class, I walked down hallways that were still unfamiliar to me, in a school I didn’t know. The previous year, in ninth grade, I went to a quiet online school, and I planned on going there again. Attending this school, PLHS, was always an option, but I kept thinking it would be to much to handle. Except now, after spending some time in a real classroom, I thought about how I actually wanted to experience more aspects of high school than a computer screen. My supportive family told me I could transfer schools if I really wanted, and even though I knew it would probably be overwhelming, a few months later, I was enrolled in PLHS.

One of the most admirable characteristics that my mother has is her great work ethic. I would not be as far in life as I am today if it were not for my constant observation of her determination in everyday life. When I was around six, she was going to school, working, and raising me. I remember specifically spending nights on the living room floor going over her flashcards with her to help her prepare for a test. At the time I wasn’t really sure why I was reading

What is high school? In my opinion, high school is the beginning of your teenage life, the beginning of your GPA, and the beginning of your new adult life. My high school experiences were both great and disastrous. I have shared many memories that involves a great load of laughs, tears, and the most of all memories. These memories that we have shared will be remembered for as long as I live.