My First Quarter In Middle School

8th grade has been a hell of a ride, I went through ups and downs, met new people, learned new things, and finally finished middle school. But along this hellish ride I encountered many challenges (and sorta solved them). I learned life lessons and had people help me along the way, I achieved goals that I set for myself. Most importantly, I learned many methods from AVID that I hope I will always use and take advantage of. Without AVID I would probably not care about my grades so much as much as I do now.

I have no idea what next year will hold, but I think I’m prepared for whatever’s next. I’m hoping to work on not procrastinating and making sure I stay organized. This year has been a crazy one, but I’m proud of myself for making it through it. I’m ending 8th grade (and middle school!) on a positive note. I’m partly glad to be finally done with middle school, but on the other hand I think I’m really going to miss LMS, because I found a place that I

My eighth grade year of Middle school. I had many challenges, with making friends and subjects. But one challenge was mathematics.I knew my eighth grade year was most important when it came transferring into my high school years, yet I didn’t do anything to raise my grade in mathematics at that time. It wasn’t until two I had a very low grade in mathematics on my report card at that I realized I needed to do something about my low grade. So after that report in math, I really was determined to really bring that F up to at least a B or A. So I remember I started to go to after school tutoring to get help with my math subject. They placed me with a teacher named Ms.Alice. And she really helped me with my subject.

When junior year ended last summer, I felt like I knew exactly what was coming my way-- after all, I watched three different groups of my friends go through senior years of their own. It was finally my turn to experience senior year, something it seemed I had known about for years, and I felt like senior year would be easygoing and uneventful. Now, it has taken just a few short months to realize how incorrect I was. If senior year has taught me anything, it is that one never really knows what comes next for them, even if they have a good idea. The monumental highs, as well as the deepest of lows, have kept me on my toes throughout my senior year.

8th grade. The last year at Ross Middle School. Being retrospective on past years has me thinking of my many accomplishments, and many fails I’ve had. From getting very good grades to the embarrassing moments. All the time I wish I was still in elementary school. You get to wake up earlier and do less work. Next year I probably will be wishing the same thing, but to be in middle school. I am excited for highschool next year, but also nervous. I am petrified of getting lost or walking into the wrong classroom. Many of my freshman friends tell me they love highschool.

My memories are blurry. They are fragments of disjointed moments, without a linear narrative. I remember reading. It was in Mrs. Davidson first grade class. My reading proficiency skills were very poor, the English language still thick and unnatural on my tongue. While some of the other students took a Gifted class, I had to take a remedial course—English Learners (EL)— just so that I could hold onto the edge. I remember reading. I had a hard copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar in my little hands, reciting only the first page of the book from memory. The classroom was dark; the stream of sunlight filtering through the windows served as our only illumination. The rest of the words on the book looked like a mess of jumbled letters. I couldn’t make out anything other than the words “the” and “and.” I remember enthusiastically pointing out my “fluency” to my teacher, seemingly applauding my menial abilities: “The catpater at droo!” (The caterpillar ate through). In the first-grade, my free time was spread sporadically between watching The Little Mermaid, catching ugly black crickets and pretending that I was Sailor Moon, guardian of the galaxy. In the first grade, I was not at all concerned with words, literacy and books. In the first grade, I did not know the power that words hold. I did not know that books would change my life.

My time at Crone Middle School has come and gone so much faster than I would have ever expected. I can still recall my fifth grade memories as if they occurred just yesterday. If you told me these three years would fly by in a second, I would have never believed you. My fifth grade self thought that middle school would take my entire life to finish, and high school was a whole other topic. As a fifth grader, I was so excited for lockers, new friends, and new classes. I forgot all the other factors that play a role in middle school. This includes grades, homework, tests, quizzes, etc.

Time, like always, blew by. Middle school brought its own challenges, as it does for all kids. You struggled with the person you wanted to be, made hard choices about what you valued. Dad and I tried to guide you, but you made decisions on your own, and they were always the right ones. We could clearly see that you were a natural leader and persistent worker. High school only cemented those traits about you, and then, amazingly, you were again ready to move to a different world.

When going into my second semester of senior year knowing I had enrolled to take Freshman Composition, I was nervous. However, despite all the negative feedback I had received, I challenged myself to do my best and try my hardest to never give up or slack off. That was unsurprisingly a challenge for me, but with a little motivation of getting the class out of the way this year instead of having to take it next year got me through the semester.

“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths,” (Walt Disney). The overview of my Junior year in high school was, I believe, the best school year so far both in academic and my personal achievements. As a person I had a major growth, I become more active in school in which was a huge step for me, and academically, well I’ve never seen so many A’s since Freshmen year, well that is if I examine only second semester but overall I felt that my grades were better than last year. This year I became a person who is more open-minded, one who sees the outside world, my mind has opened a door which helped me find the inner me that was stuck in for the past 2 years of high school like if I were a bud that has finally opened. I shockley impressed at myself, willing to accept any new challenges this year which truly helped me become a better person in education and personally.

The two and a half months of summer ended and I was ready to start 8th grade. I was excited and I found out I was in the same pod with my best friend. I felt confident as I walked into room B5 and greeted Mr. Gill. The year started great and I knew my way to all my classes. I studied a lot more in 8th grade. Nearly every test I studied. And by the end of the marking period I had all A’s and B’s. I brought my lunch from home more often and I participate more in class.

This year will be the last year in high school. I have done numerous of things during these four years. I have done Art competitions, cheer, to participating in the Prom committee. These activities have been fun, but it has gotten to the time in which I have to put the fun aside and focus on resumes, college applications, and careers. These days I have begun to take school more seriously than other years. Momentarily I feel sure that I have matured enough throughout the years to begin and take some difficult classes that could benefit me in college.

The end of eighth grade was coming faster than any year before. It was about to be summer and most of the eighth graders were eager to be a freshman in high school next year. I was not so excited about this. School used to be hard for me, waking up, discussing with new people, being in classes that I struggled with eight hours each day. Speaking in front class petrified me to the point that I did not want to ask for help. There never used to be a time that I felt confident volunteering, raising my hand, or presenting in front of a class. I soundlessly coped with anxiety through eighth grade, causing me to be unsuccessful in a few classes, and wanting to not go to school most days. High school is incomparable to middle school, I knew this change

I remember being an anxious eighth grader thinking about starting my freshman year of high school. We went from being at the top of the school to being at the bottom of a new one. All of our middle school teachers always told us about how our high school teachers wont “hold our hands” and how we will be on our own. Being in high school is completely different than being in elementary school and middle school. Its almost like each year we have more and more freedom but more responsibility.

Middle school is a big turning point in most students’ maturity, I believe. Especially 8th Grade, as you are finally leaving the Middle School building, and going on to High School with the mindset that you are almost an adult. Along the way, you learn to cope with many things, whether they be accomplishments or losses. In this entry, I am going to discuss what I did, as well as some thoughts on leaving 8th Grade.