Distractions Can Be Viscous! by Ivy

Distractions Can Be Viscous! by Ivy - June 2016 Scholarship Essay

The greatest challenge I've faced in my entire academic career would have to be the ordeal I faced in my middle school years. That was when a notoriously well known issue ruined my education experience, academic performance and my self esteem. In short, in my first and second years of middle school I was a victim of bullying.

As you can imagine, dealing with the bullying itself provided ample distraction while school was in session. For instance, in my science period my lunch box would consistently be stolen and thrown away or hidden the moment I stopped occupying myself with the whereabouts of my lunchbox and instead paid the teacher the slightest bit of attention. Because of this, I struggled with science that entire school year, as well as several of the next, simply because I didn't know the basic course content that laid the foundation for the more complex theories that was explored later in my academic career.

Additionally, the distraction that bullying provided wasn't confined to the school day and I often failed to turn in important homework assignments due to the fact that I didn't want to think about school (And what waited there) in my 'off time'. In this way, I developed a sort of procrastinating habit that stuck with me well into my high school years, even after I left that environment.

My family was immensely supportive during this time, particularly my mother. My mom found an alternative to brick and mortar schools through a site called K12 that ran an online school called Washington Virtual Academy. To be honest, the concept wasn't as mainstream back then as it is today, and I had a lot of reservations towards cutting out the entire social aspect of school.

After the first week of attending the school, however, I realized that my initial belief that I would be unable to interact with my peers had been completely unfounded. Not only was it easy to keep in contact with fellow students, but the courses were at my own pace, the school offered all grade levels from kindergarten to senior and the teachers were available at the touch of a button at nearly anytime! Needless to say, of course, the bullying stopped abruptly because the online school took great pains to ensure that the activity was refreshingly impossible.

Recently, I graduated after attending the online environment for approximately five years and I'm really very pleased that I was introduced to this alternative to brick and mortar schools. Through this individualized, personal approach, I regained my interest in my education, my grades increased dramatically and I recovered a sense of worth that had been purloined through the continuous bullying.

So here's the life lesson; Nothing will change if you're not willing to try something new, strange or different (And fairly terrifying).