Asking for Help. by Lorean

Asking for Help. by Lorean - November 2014 Scholarship Essay

High school is - in a word - hard. When you start the journey from middle school to freshman, you seem to have to plan out your entire high school career right then. The question of what you want to do when you grow up is becoming more serious and now, there seems to be more pressure on you to pick the right path and to challenge yourself with academics and clubs. The fact is, however, that you have no idea what your life will look like by the end of high school let alone by the end of your first day of it. Once you understand that it is okay not to know what you want to do for the rest of your life, you will be able to focus on doing well in your current life. Knowing when to ask for help and not being afraid of getting it are the key parts of successfully getting through freshmen year.

The daunting task of raising your hand in class when you do not know something, is a phenomenon that happens to all of us. Whether you will be successful in 9th grade depends on your ability to decide when you need to ask for help. Teachers have been saying to not be afraid to ask questions since kindergarten, that does not make it any easier. Whether you find it embarrassing or even scary to ask for help from your teach (especially in front of your classmates), the simple truth is, having the courage to raise your hand or see your teacher after class is all that stands between you and ultimate success your first year of high school. There really are bad questions and when your classmates see that you are making the grades you want and understanding the material better than they are, they will have to pluck up that courage too. Do not worry if this is something that you have to work on, by the end of high school you will have mastered how to ask for help, it just helps to get a head start on it.

Getting the right help can be tricky too. Whether you need a teacher to go over something small that you missed or you need a tutor to sit with you when you are completely lost, the resources open to you in high school are endless. Just asking your parents for help with your homework may no longer be enough; do not forget that they did this years ago so they may not remember it all. However, knowing if you need someone to make sure you sit and do the work or you need someone who will sit by your side and read the book along with you to get you through it, there are so many opportunities to ask for help and your teacher, while certainly a great starting point, may not always be your best source of help. When you see yourself struggling, do not be afraid to seek out your classmate, librarians, and others that will be able to get you back on the right track.

Making it through freshmen year will come with more responsibility as well as more work, but do not be scared of high school, learn, make new friends, and try new things. You will never regret going out of your comfort zone a little when it is going to bring you a great reward. Remember that you want to do well in school, and, at the same time, you want to have fun, so explores your school and everything it has to offer because you never know where you will find that special place that you feel completely at home in until you go looking for it.