Reflective Essay: My Freshman Year Of High School

Freshman year of high school is scary for anyone, the enormous transition from being a top dog at middle school, back to an underclassman; wondering if your high school teachers will be as unforgiving as your 8th grade teacher’s descriptions, or even just that uncertainty that comes along with any major change. As a homeschooler entering school system for the first time, and having completely skipped 8th grade, it was terrifying. I had no idea what to expect, I worried about being behind the other students, or having missed something in my homeschooling curriculum, even interacting with other kids was all unfamiliar. It definitely didn’t help that, at 13, I was the youngest person in the building. Just two days into the school year, I discovered that P-AP world …show more content…
I chose a girl named Olivia, she had, in my opinion, drawn the most accurate map and closer observation proved that her backpack was carefully filed and organized. I made it my goal to beat her on every test, quiz and worksheet. If she complained about having to study half the night for the upcoming test, I would study for it all night. I knew that, even if I was only half as geographically savvy as she was, I could simulate her natural talent with pure work and willpower. I didn’t emulate her, my bag was much more haphazard and my notes were completely different, she was simply my bar and my goal was to leap as high above her as possible. I ended up passing that class with an A, while also successfully filling any existing educational gaps as far as geography was concerned. This success helped me learn a great deal in regards to myself and my motivations, it also made me realize that a lack of talent in a subject or area doesn’t mean failure; it just means that you need to strive a little harder for