Maine by Shannon

Maine by Shannon - April 2016 Scholarship Essay

My personal advice for younger students is this; Don't be afraid!

Being a freshman in high school was tough for me because I only knew about a third of the students there from my elementary school. I was also pulled out of middle school for the whole three years by my father because he didn't appreciate how they taught students, so I was homeschooled instead. While I appreciated the sentiment, I had a very limited contact with the outside world so to speak, and it was as if everything I had learned about friendship and teachers vanished into thin air.
Regardless, I tried to make the best of the situation. But some of the teachers I had misunderstood "preparing students for college" as "treat students as if they were entering college" and I was slammed with a lot more work, and a lot harder work, than I had thought.

Here's my advice to you. Teachers would never hand you that difficult work if they didn't believe that you could handle it. Have you ever wondered why some teachers handed out tests and graded you on a curve when everyone had done poorly? That's because a test is supposed to gauge how much you've learned and understood about the subject. If it was a ridiculously easy test and everyone received top marks, how do you think teachers would understand how much you've retained? And don't sweat it when you get poor marks on something, which brings me to my next point.

Your teachers, surprisingly, are not out to kill you. Trust me. They've once been your age and once had razor-teethed teachers just like you did. Don't be afraid to stop by their classroom during a study hall or after school if you need help. The whole point about high school is learning, and if you aren't learning, then you've gotta fix it. By taking matters into your own hands, teachers will very much appreciate you being as proactive about your education as they are teaching you. And hey, maybe they'll give you an extra boost later on.

But, if you come across a difficult teacher who doesn't want to budge from their seats outside your class period time, well, you've still learned something. Some teachers will be worth more of your time than others, so make sure to devote your time in a way that lets you get the most out of student and teacher relationships. Getting along with your teacher is just as important as making friends!

I wish I was a little more proactive my freshman year of high school. Maybe I would've gotten better grades or a higher GPA that way! But try to learn from my experiences anyway. Don't be afraid of anyone or anything, and you might just find yourself sailing smoothly along, graduating at the top of your class.