My mother is a teacher at the school where I have studied for fourteen years. This has made my school experience somewhat complex!
I was happy to hop beside her while we went to school together. She would hustle my brother and me to school each morning- making sure I wore the correct uniform and had my books in place. In kindergarten it was even fascinating; I could brag to my friends that my mom taught the senior students. I didn't see much of her in school then. Only my occasional trip to the school medical room prompted a visit from her. I carried on in my little blue classroom, finger painting and playing in the sand pit, oblivious to what my mother was doing in the building which housed the senior wing.
By the end of primary school, …show more content…
My focus shifted from my personal dilemmas to a study of others, their perceptions, motivations and responses. The jibes matured to subtle innuendos and stopped being funny. But I adjusted my sails to the winds. My fresh outlook helped anchor me at a deeper level of consciousness and accept both opportunities and challenges. I found affirmation in preparing and performing well academically and pursuing my interests- participating in quizzes on current affairs to discussions about the latest Jeffery Archer novel, debating government policy to mobilizing support for a change in the school cafeteria menu. I leveraged peer pressure and competition to my advantage. My confidence soared. With this I experienced a dramatic improvement in my interpersonal skills with my peers and mentors. I was rewarded not just with accolades and prizes but also with the compliments and praise that came my way.
The last two grades of school were critical to the process. I had to choose the five subjects I wanted to pursue in my senior level classes, and I was faced with a fresh challenge. I knew I wanted to study social sciences, but got stuck on one of the five subjects’ combination- categories. I knew I was most interested in History, but the teacher for that subject was my mother. An old fear-“what would others say”- returned to haunt …show more content…
But that never translated into favors or leniency of any kind. My answer scripts were filled with as many red marks as that of any other student, my marks cut with equal ruthlessness and my punishment the same as everyone else’s. Besides all the history lessons I realized I had to find my way on my own. As long as I saw myself as ‘different’ or paid way too much attention to what was being said about me, my vision and horizons were limited. I figured out how imperative it was to believe in myself - a lesson that was equivalent to the Kuraltai of the Mongol chieftains where Temujin became Genghis
I was happy to hop beside her while we went to school together. She would hustle my brother and me to school each morning- making sure I wore the correct uniform and had my books in place. In kindergarten it was even fascinating; I could brag to my friends that my mom taught the senior students. I didn't see much of her in school then. Only my occasional trip to the school medical room prompted a visit from her. I carried on in my little blue classroom, finger painting and playing in the sand pit, oblivious to what my mother was doing in the building which housed the senior wing.
By the end of primary school, …show more content…
My focus shifted from my personal dilemmas to a study of others, their perceptions, motivations and responses. The jibes matured to subtle innuendos and stopped being funny. But I adjusted my sails to the winds. My fresh outlook helped anchor me at a deeper level of consciousness and accept both opportunities and challenges. I found affirmation in preparing and performing well academically and pursuing my interests- participating in quizzes on current affairs to discussions about the latest Jeffery Archer novel, debating government policy to mobilizing support for a change in the school cafeteria menu. I leveraged peer pressure and competition to my advantage. My confidence soared. With this I experienced a dramatic improvement in my interpersonal skills with my peers and mentors. I was rewarded not just with accolades and prizes but also with the compliments and praise that came my way.
The last two grades of school were critical to the process. I had to choose the five subjects I wanted to pursue in my senior level classes, and I was faced with a fresh challenge. I knew I wanted to study social sciences, but got stuck on one of the five subjects’ combination- categories. I knew I was most interested in History, but the teacher for that subject was my mother. An old fear-“what would others say”- returned to haunt …show more content…
But that never translated into favors or leniency of any kind. My answer scripts were filled with as many red marks as that of any other student, my marks cut with equal ruthlessness and my punishment the same as everyone else’s. Besides all the history lessons I realized I had to find my way on my own. As long as I saw myself as ‘different’ or paid way too much attention to what was being said about me, my vision and horizons were limited. I figured out how imperative it was to believe in myself - a lesson that was equivalent to the Kuraltai of the Mongol chieftains where Temujin became Genghis