Paper #1

Submitted By asiadavis
Words: 1460
Pages: 6

September 08, 2013
Paper #1

In my ninth grade year I thought that everything would be a breeze. I was completely lost the first three weeks of school. When I saw how much freedom I had being in high school, I was too excited. It was so much to be in and be a part of. I immediately wanted to join things, but I knew that I had to stay focus. High school is so easy to get off track, that if you don’t pay attention to what you are doing, and stays organize, you will fall in a whole.

My freshman year I joined the high school band. I was already in band my whole middle school year. So I decided to be in band in high school. High school band was amazing to where my ninth grade year was my best year. Being in a high school band verses a middle school band was much more experienced. Just to have upperclassmen teaching you things that you didn’t know, and to learn how to overcome your fears at your first game. Being in a marching band and being able to actually march in a band is a totally different experience.

I also joined HOSA and Student Council. I am so happy to be a part of many things, because I want to stay busy and I wanted to be noticed as a freshman. All these activities in high school, made me fall off track in my grades. I was settling for “C’s” instead of “A’s” and “B’s”. I absolutely enjoyed the activities, but I hated the fact that I let myself down, and I wasn’t focused on my work.
My tenth grade year I tried to get my mind right. I told myself that I had my share of experience with different activities for a whole year, and I probably could do a little better with my grades. My first report card as a tenth grader I actually made honor roll. When I seen my report card, and the progress I was making, made me so excited. I knew that I was getting on the right track. As I went to the next level, the teachers got stricter and the work got harder. It seemed like everything would get so much easier, but it was the complete opposite. My classes started to get more complicated. I was so attached to band, I started pushing my work under the rug and I never studied for test.

I would find myself procrastinating in the class room, because I had a lazy mentality. Things could never be organized or completed. When I did do my work it wouldn’t be have done, or turned in as late work. The whole entire time I felt like I was tearing my life apart. I was disappointing my parents and friends, because they knew that I could do much better. I was not putting my priorities in the right place. My tenth grade year wasn’t the best, but I skimmed through it. During this school year I basically just gave up. I didn’t want to try anymore. I told myself I wasn’t smart, and I was not going to succeed.

To take my mind off of my grades, I joined the cheerleading team. I told myself that this may cheer me up, but it wouldn’t put extra time on my plate. So I made the JV basketball cheerleading team. I fell in love with cheering but in order to be on the team, the coach said we had to keep our grades up or we were automatically off the team. Not being kicked off the squad boasted my motivation back up to actually start back focusing off my work. My challenge was, how was I gone manage my time between games and school work? The only good advantage I had was that JV didn’t have many basketball games.
My eleventh grade year was the ice breaker out of all four years. This is the grade where we all the standardize test were taken to determine whether we would graduate from high school or not. I knew that this would be a stressful high school year for me. Of course I was still a part of the basketball cheerleading team and I was still in the band. I had made the varsity team this time. My grades were getting a little better than before. I tried so hard to manage my time wisely and get my work done. The only thing that set me back was the graduation test.

The graduation test is to be taken your eleventh grade year to