Overcoming Obstacles That Affected My Grades In School

Since I was young, there was a communication barrier that existed between me and the outside world. My shyness led me to many downfalls on my academic side. Not understanding a topic would mean that I would never be able to clarify any questions that were on my mind. Until around 6th grade, I always considered myself introverted; I had the inability to blend in with strangers, peers and teachers.

As a little girl I was always the one who would hide behind her father’s leg. At the dinner table I would be quiet so I would never be brought into the conversation. The older I got, the more I came out of my shell. I still could never break free, though. It wasn’t until I became involved in organizations, that I was able to interact with people and take initiative.

In the coming months, I began spending more time alone in the library and grassland thinking the “abstract”. It coincided with the start of high school. So, I had no one whom I would call “friend” at that time. When my peers used to talk about sports, girls and Facebook memes, I lacked any interest. I found it not only difficult to socialize, but to some degree unnecessary. Teenage conversations can be so much lame, juvenile and intellectually bereft. I hated small talks and discussions about people or events. In short, I did not fit there.

Throughout many of my journal entries I express the fear of going outside of my comfort zone. This fear I have is the reason why I am not vey social able or outgoing. In many of my reflections I also express the fact that I’m afraid of other people and how they will judge me. Last week in class we learned about how adolescence believe in an imaginary audience. I don’t think I ever really grew out of believing in an imaginary audience. I still constantly think I am the center of people’s attention and not in a good way.

I was not confident in my actions, but I was able to disregard what others said at the expense of closer ties with my friends. By creating this persona I created a shell for myself. One that nurtured my shyness to unfamiliar experiences and shielded me from saying a word. When I began high school, I told myself that I could start fresh and be a new person. Although, even as a junior, I only managed to succeed in disposing of the depressing, serious attitude. I still do not talk much, but I am open to new experiences and can accept some form of humiliation or

I rarely spoke in middle school. Nothing overly traumatic happened to me or anything, I was just terrible at making conversation, so I avoided it. In a normal conversation with me, right after hello’s and standard pleasantries were exchanged my mind would go crazy trying to think of something to say back. I didn’t want what I’d say to make me seem lower in the person’s eyes, so every single possible response was excessively mulled over in my head, and I’d usually end up flustered. It was exhausting. If the person tried to continue the conversation, I’d usually give a standard response like “Oh that’s cool” or a head nod/shake because I couldn’t think of anything else. I wasn’t trying to appear rude, that was far from my intention, it was just that I was a mess when it came to socializing. I was aware of how bad I was, but did I take the responsible route and work toward eloquence? Nope. Instead, I tried to avoid talking altogether. I’d keep my head down to avoid eye contact and keep a book on me so that I’d always have something to do. I pretty much ensured

Through becoming involved in my school and community I became increasingly outgoing and overcame my anxiety. Ever since childhood I have been labeled as the quiet one who hardly spoke- I specifically remember going to school on the first day of sixth grade and being almost in tears because I felt so nervous about making new friends. When school activities began in 8th and 9th grade determination struck involving myself in as many endeavors as I could, even through the nervousness about not being the best or having friends on the team. Throughout my high school career I filled my days with volleyball, show choir, speech, ACE, church, and many more engaging activities. By being involved in these activities I have made my closest friends in high

When I first came to America, I was bullied because I was different, and judged of every action so I could be mocked by the way I behaved. I used to have no problems asking where the bathroom is, and I didn’t care about my accent or grammar as long as I got the message across. But years growing up in a tiny Southern town, unaware of the existence of the Asian race, molded me into a different person. I was, and still, fearsome of social situations, as little as asking someone in class for a pencil. I could never ask for help because I was afraid what will happen during the process, or after. In my head, I’d imagine instances where my voice could crack while asking, the class could go silent focusing their attention onto me, or worse, finally having the courage to ask, but it turns out the person I asked had rejected my request. This personality of mine is so painful at times, I considered it as a disorder. I was always stuck in between this thick social barrier; I couldn’t approach anyone, always the one waiting to be approached. But, unlike the silent students who are great scholars, I was never a great student myself, and I suffered immensely. When it was time for group projects, I was always the fatboy in PE, having the teacher assign me to a random group. I’ve been trying to overcome this social anxiety by forcing myself to talk to new people,

As a young child, I was timid towards participating in class activities, and I would not seek help if I was struggling because I was terrified of judgement from both my teacher and my peers. I was so insecure about myself, that I became obsessed with the idea that I was obligated to complete any task anyone gave me because I was a burden on them and their life. I would go out of my way to help someone on their homework to my own grade’s deficit, or I would knowingly place myself into the middle of social drama I was not involved in simply because I could not say no. This eventually resulted in me becoming both emotionally and physically exasperated. I began to isolate myself from both friends and family. This way, I could not be held accountable for

Unlike many students, my first year of schooling was undertaken at home, rather than amongst my peers. My subsequent years of schooling were spent in a normal classroom environment; however, I often felt that this year at home, which was characterized by much less interaction with peers than I would have had if I was enrolled in traditional schooling, had left me at a social disadvantage, or slightly behind other children in terms of my level of socialization. I was much shyer than the other children who had already developed groups, friendships, who were much more adept at interacting amongst each other, and generally seemed more outgoing than myself. I often felt like an outsider, with feelings of self-consciousness and a lack of

Throughout elementary school, I was an outgoing kid. I enjoyed talking to people, making friends; normal kid activities. Around fourth grade, niches started forming, and slowly I realized that I did not belong anywhere. Kids started talking exclusively to their niche, leaving me alone and unsure what had changed from before. I specifically

These past four years in high school have been full of obstacles for me. My freshmen year my parents were going through a divorce and it was a big transition for us as a family; my mom had a hard time maintaining jobs and I had to grow up quick to help out around the house. The next few years my mom struggled with many different problems in her life which led to her getting evicted amongst other things. I moved in with my dad permanently and now life at home is getting better. I struggled with many things at home through high school but as I reach the end of my senior year those obstacles have only made me a better person. College is something my family is nervous about because my dad is raising four kids on his own and will have trouble supporting

I am a very introverted person, I don’t like being in front of crowds or talking to new people. As a child I was the complete opposite, I was extroverted and loved being the center of attention. Unfortunately this only lasted until I was about seven years old. After that something snapped and I became unable to talk or do anything in front of other people.

For most of my life, I had been the definition of an introvert. I was afraid of anything unfamiliar. The thought of meeting strangers would make me cringe. In the first grade, I cried for the entire year. I cried walking to school, and I sobbed on the way home. When my parents sent me away for junior high, I clutched on to my sister’s sleeves as if I were being sent away forever. Then one day, I changed. Perhaps I was sick of being the shy little girl always hiding behind others’ back, but I decided to do something different. I volunteered to host school assemblies, acted in dramas, and decided to study abroad to America. I suddenly had a new outlook on life.

An obstacle that I have encountered throughout my lifetime, specifically my time in high school, has been pushing myself to be the very best. Even though I feel as though I am very self-motivated, it takes a great deal of effort to actually execute the things that I have been given. For example, we all know how hard it is to avoid procrastination, during high school if you were to ask any one I knew, I would always have my work completed before the deadline. Some may call it overachieving, but when I get a load of work that needs to be completed, I like to get it done immediately or I feel like I have too much on my plate and I’m unable to handle all of it.