Personal Narrative: Finally Entering Middle School

When I got introduced to middle school approaching the first day of school, I possessed a lot of various feelings.I was afraid, had butterflies in my stomach, and assumed that middle school was going to be a challenging four years of my life.Basically, I was extremely nervous and excited for the opening day of middle school.

From my experience, surviving middle school takes a mixture of luck, naive fearlessness, and an aggressive number of colorful plastic binders. I started my first day of fifth grade a jumbled mess of nerves, anxious about making friends and doing well in class, and inexplicably dressed head-to-toe in red, white, and blue swag my mom got when the Summer Olympics were in Atlanta. I mean, my backpack matched my shoelaces, which matched my pants and my shirt. I might have even had a hat. A hat. A precisely matching hat. That I wore all day. Needless to say, I was not a particularly cool child. I studied hard, had a core group of equally nerdy friends, and constantly worried about whether I was doing the right thing or, perhaps more accurately, becoming the right thing. Was I not studying hard enough to get into college? Or maybe studying too hard, missing out on my youth? Would I grow into my teeth one day? Would my skin eventually stop looking like greasy peanut brittle?

As I went through 1-9 grade school I finally found grit. Going to St. Mary’s during 1-6 grade school getting up at 6:30 every morning just wanting to hit the snooze button so I could get that extra hour of sleep in. After getting ready for school, I would get on the bus, three stops later we would pick up these annoying foster kids that gave me a headache every day because they would shut their mouths that I would have to push through school with. Then building up all the energy sitting in 1-2 classrooms the whole day waiting for recess so I could let it all out. Since I pushed through those challenges, I was able to move on to middle school. During my two years of middle school three out of the five days of school, I would get up at 5:30 and

“Jovanie, I’m going to have to let you go,” my coach said to me in a nonchalant voice. My stomach started twisting in a million knots and I felt my eyes watering, but I was not going to let them fall… yet. “Not here, not now” I reassured myself. I slowly walked off the bus trying to act unbothered, but I was. Everybody that knew me understood what track was to me. However, starting off in a different school as a freshman, where nobody knew me was hard. I had to prove to them that I was a good runner, but I have failed.

In Middle School, where we were still growing up as adults, we did not like following the rules. I was in 9th grade. That day the bell rang for our next class and me and my friends did not want to go to our next class right away. We waited outside the room for our next class and chilled and talked. Me and my friends were in class all day and we wanted to let go of some energy. We kept talking and if our teacher came, we would go into the class right away. Our school did not like students to hang out in the hallway because they made too much noise. We did not care, we still chilled outside the class. We talked about new shoes and what we were going to do after school. It was so much fun because I had not seen my friends since 8th grade and it was the

I remember when it was time to go from being a 12 year old 6th grader, to a 12 year old middle schooler with a lot more responsibilities than I was used to having. I had to make sure all my homework was done on time (It took me awhile to get the idea of no late homework hammered into my head), asked for help when I needed it the teacher wasn’t going to help as much as the elementary teachers would do unless I asked, with asking for help was a lot harder than I thought it would be everyone was confused too, after awhile the teacher finally got tired of running around the room jumping from student to student, marched up to the front of the class and wrote on the board of how to do a certain assignment.

I walked into the loud building so scared and nervous. I couldn't believe today was the day. The day i'm finally in middle school. That day was the day that I could officially call myself a Vista Verde Middle School student. When I walked into the building the bell had rung for us to proceed to class. On my I spotted one of my very good friends, Esmeralda. After I said hi to her I walked to my first period class which is room 403 and my teacher is Ms. Blasnek.

In the school year of 2015-2016, I am a high school student now. I should be excited for this upcoming school. However, I felt nervous about this school year. I lay in my bed until my mom called me many times. After eating my wonderful breakfast, my mom and younger sister asked to get ready for school. I didn’t want to change my pajama. My dad called me from the downstair, “Iris, hurry up. It is time to school now.” I was unhappy to get out of my room. Even though I have been in the Memorial High School many times before this school year, I was afraid of being in my first day of school.

It was a normal school day at Brookhurst Jr. High in 7th Period were my friends and I were talking and waiting for the bell to ring so we could all go home and the school day would be over. Before I left I needed to go to the bike racks to get my skateboard so I could ride it home.

Middle school, when that word pops up in one’s head, it’s a sudden reminder of dreadfulness,broken promises,regrets,first crushes, and last but not least, learned lessons. Another morning had brought another school day. Seeing familiar faces and teachers I just wanted to get through the day with no trouble, but that’s not always the case. At least it wasn’t for me. Making my way through the extended halls and walls that seemed to enclose upon me, I felt nothing more than like a chained prisoner. The bell rung and I remained seated in my class, surrounded by boxed, outdated computers and rusty white walls, I felt helpless.

I’ve grown and changed through the past few years. Sadly I did not grow height wise. I’m still the same short girl who everyone knows around here. I’ve grown to be mature and independent at a young age.

A time I faced a challenge was the beginning of the 7 th grade and my first year of actual middle school. I was not doing well the first few months of school and didn’t understand the work and I was shy and not open enough to talk to my new teachers. I would not understand the material presented in class and was not motivated. Towards the end of the first semester I was failing most of my classes and my highest grade was a C. I did not know what to do with my life I and with all the stress building up on me I didn’t know what to do . Until one day my mom wanted to do something about it and saw me challenging this action helped changed my life.

Week One: This week was an interesting week. I was at my church working and it was about that time for our yearly fire inspection coming up soon. So we were getting all of our building fire alarms panels renewed, and we had this one young guy name Adam Shabli from Cintas who came to look at our building. As the conversation continues we started just to talk about life and he asked me and the campus pastor if we were the pastors here at church. We replied saying yes and he had a shocked look. He said that we dress to fresh that he would of never knew. It was funny to us, and he started asking questions about Christianity. He grew up in a Jewish home, his parents are from Israel. He was shocked when we told him that we read the old testament.

This narrative is about my years of middle school. I look back on my kindergarten days and wonder why I didn't care if I had many friends, why I didn't care what everyone thought of me. in my first school years of elementary school, I remember instead of playing on the grass the teachers only let us children under 3rd-grade play on the concrete blacktop whereas everyone else gets to play on the grass field. if I get hit in the stomach nowadays and land on this asphalt paved concrete I try to play it off like nothing ever happened, when inside I’m screaming. I try my hardest not to let out even the faintest of grunts because of what other people will think, while my mind is fighting against me to just let it out, of course this is unlike me when I was younger, because at that age either I was too busy focusing on anything and I would just bounce back up or because I didn't care what people thought of me and I let everything out without hesitation.

From the first day I entered my new middle school, I knew that my life was about to change forever. The countless modifications, some good and some bad, were about to mold me into what I would become at the end of 8th grade. Getting more involved with my community, becoming more athletic, and being kinder are just a few of the things that I think that I have improved upon. I have also gained some not-so-good qualities, which include biting my nails, not being as smart, and lying to myself about many things. Overall though, I think that I have made tremendous progress and have blossomed into a great student who is ready for high school.