When I first came to Cedar Shoals, I was scared to tell you the truth. I really didn’t care what people said about me or what they thought. I was worried abut what classroom I was going to be in, or was the ninth grade going to be mixed up, or who I am going to eat lunch with, because I didn’t now anyone. I was the quiet type. I got caught up with the wrong clique and started doing what they were doing to look cool. I would be late to class. I realized that wasn’t right way to go. I decided to stop and do my work. My parents had to talk to me and my sister had to talk me about doing the right thing and being a leader not a follower. I thought that high school was going to be easier, but I thought wrong. It was harder than I thought. I had everything planned. I was going to graduate high school and go off to the Army Reserve.
I remember my freshman year like it was yesterday. First block I had Mr. Hedrick; he was my pre-algebra teacher. Second block, Ms.Vergiae, she taught physical science. Third block was lit/comp 9 with Mr. Moore, and fourth block was JROTC with Major Evans. Out of all four classes, I only passed three. I remember telling myself that was not so good. Actually, I thought that it was very poor of me to fail that class. My whole 10th grade year, I only passed five classes. I knew I wasn’t going to pass the grade, but I thought it was good enough that I did get five out 8 credits. Little did I know that it would come back to haunt me and make it impossible to graduate.
I was one of the most liked students in the counselor office. Mr. Jones took good care of me by keeping me on track. He told me what classes I needed to take to go to my next grade, in order to be caught up with my class of 2010. So everyday I went to his personal office to talk to him about my credits and grades and how I could make it on time. We played a game called kick-up. He told me to go to Classic City for a 5th block called credit re-cover where you do the subject you failed on internet. So I did, and yes I passed all six of my classes at the end of June. Now I’m in my right grade which is 12th grade. Now I’m only missing one class, but am going to graduate at Classic City High School for 2010 with 22 credits. You get the same high school diploma as any other high school, just less credits. I graduate on May 18, one day before Cedar Shoals students graduate.
What I have learned from this experience is that your freshman year you do not want to mess up your first time. If you do, you will be just like one the people who failed a grade. You will feel bad and start to want to drop. My advice is for you to do the right thing, choose the right friends, and do your best at what you do all the time. You won’t regret this. Just be more that what your parents are.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The Truth by Breshunta Bush
When I first started high school I thought it was a joke. I use to wander around the school skipping. I wouldn’t do any work unless I really felt like it. I really didn’t care about school and was ready to drop-out the first day. I got into a lot of fights. I really didn’t take advantage of my free education. High school was full of gangster males; I was focused more on them and parties. I was always disrespectful to my teachers. They tried so hard to help me, but I refused to accept the help. I got in so much trouble. I got kicked out and went to the alternative school. Luckily, I was on track to make it to the next grade. I had my mom to stay by my side and motivate me. My teachers started meeting up with my mom and me to talk about what I needed to do to stay focused and on track.
I learned from the previous bad choices that I had to make up my mind if was going to graduate or not. I started trying to get along with people, because it wasn’t that serious. It was time to mature and grow up. My teachers were only there to make me successful in life. I started being around positive people that would motivate me to do right. I learned that life isn’t always about me. I had to grow up take advantage of my wonderful free education. My grades and things started to improve. I no longer needed my mom to come for a meeting for my bad behavior. She was now coming for good things I achieved. If I wanted to be c/o 2010, I had to work for what I wanted in life. Thanks to all the people that supported me and saw potential in me to push me to achieve my goals. “You Have To Go Through Hell To Get To Heaven”.
So for those freshmen, I wouldn’t be telling y’all this if I wasn’t telling the truth. Take advantage of your free education. Be successful, and stay focused, eager to make something out of your life. Now there are going to be struggles for y’all because they took out the graduation test, but yall still have to pass every final exam. Some people aren’t good test. But have faith and be confident, because everyone deserves an education. High school is just getting you prepared for the real world. Always study when you have free time. Freshmen, I’m not saying that it is always going to be easy, but if you do what you have to do, things will go by so easily for you. There will be obstacles that will come your way, but learn how to overcome them. My advice is the advice that will help you in the long run, so take my advice because yall are the future for tomorrow.
I learned from the previous bad choices that I had to make up my mind if was going to graduate or not. I started trying to get along with people, because it wasn’t that serious. It was time to mature and grow up. My teachers were only there to make me successful in life. I started being around positive people that would motivate me to do right. I learned that life isn’t always about me. I had to grow up take advantage of my wonderful free education. My grades and things started to improve. I no longer needed my mom to come for a meeting for my bad behavior. She was now coming for good things I achieved. If I wanted to be c/o 2010, I had to work for what I wanted in life. Thanks to all the people that supported me and saw potential in me to push me to achieve my goals. “You Have To Go Through Hell To Get To Heaven”.
So for those freshmen, I wouldn’t be telling y’all this if I wasn’t telling the truth. Take advantage of your free education. Be successful, and stay focused, eager to make something out of your life. Now there are going to be struggles for y’all because they took out the graduation test, but yall still have to pass every final exam. Some people aren’t good test. But have faith and be confident, because everyone deserves an education. High school is just getting you prepared for the real world. Always study when you have free time. Freshmen, I’m not saying that it is always going to be easy, but if you do what you have to do, things will go by so easily for you. There will be obstacles that will come your way, but learn how to overcome them. My advice is the advice that will help you in the long run, so take my advice because yall are the future for tomorrow.
My True Testimony by Terrence Jewell
When I first came to high school I really didn’t know how to feel about it. I said I was just going to go with the flow and try to stay on task with my work. I was on the football team, so I felt like I had a couple of friends I knew already. My first semester went ok. I passed 3 of 4 classes. But my second semester went all wrong. I was not thinking about my work at all; I felt like I had a lot of better stuff I could be doing. Then when school started the next year and it was time for football season to start up, I was looking like beetle juice. I knew I wanted to play football but I didn’t have the grades, so I got my mind right and studied hard to get it. I kept telling myself to stay focused.
I learned that if you do not stay focused on the goal at hand, it will slip away from you. I used to always think that I could just “make it up another day” but I was so wrong. I also found out that I should keep a positive attitude in stressful situations.
Freshmen can learn that they should get off to the right start from the jump, keep the same pace throughout the semester, and not have the same mind frame that I had. Remember you can do anything you put you mind too.
I learned that if you do not stay focused on the goal at hand, it will slip away from you. I used to always think that I could just “make it up another day” but I was so wrong. I also found out that I should keep a positive attitude in stressful situations.
Freshmen can learn that they should get off to the right start from the jump, keep the same pace throughout the semester, and not have the same mind frame that I had. Remember you can do anything you put you mind too.
Learning through Failing by Jonah Dillard
When I first started high school I thought that we were going to just chill and play all the time. The second week of school I had a complete change of mind. When I first got in class, the second Monday of school I got kicked out for talking and playing around. That week I got kicked out everyday for the same thing, and a little cursing. At first I thought the teacher was just being mean, but then I thought about it and said to myself, “It was me that was doing all the wrong.” From then on, I started to do my work and stopped talking so much in class. Even though I failed the class, I still learned something by taking it and failing it.
I learned that if you want to have fun in school you should do your work and not talk during class. Then you can finish your work and when you finish that then you can talk and play around a little bit. I think if I had never taken the class I would have never learned my lesson and I would have failed a lot of classes and wouldn’t be on track for graduation.
I think freshmen will now know what not to do. They can put my advice into effect because your freshmen year is the most important, because if you fail that it’s really hard to catch back up. To me, I think this is great advice to you guys and girls, because it’s true that your 9th grade year is the most important. That’s when you take the kind of hard classes like Algebra 1, Health and Physical Education, and Physical Science which are the classes that people have had to repeat a lot.
I learned that if you want to have fun in school you should do your work and not talk during class. Then you can finish your work and when you finish that then you can talk and play around a little bit. I think if I had never taken the class I would have never learned my lesson and I would have failed a lot of classes and wouldn’t be on track for graduation.
I think freshmen will now know what not to do. They can put my advice into effect because your freshmen year is the most important, because if you fail that it’s really hard to catch back up. To me, I think this is great advice to you guys and girls, because it’s true that your 9th grade year is the most important. That’s when you take the kind of hard classes like Algebra 1, Health and Physical Education, and Physical Science which are the classes that people have had to repeat a lot.
Avoiding Altercations by Kendra Thomas
When I first came to Cedar Shoals I thought that I was going to be fighting all the time. My name is Kendra. I stand at 4 feet 11. I know I’m not that tall so I have to protect myself. I said to myself, “If anybody steps to me wrong I was gone nut up.” The 2nd day at Cedar Shoals my 9th grade year I got into an altercation with another student. There were a lot of people involved in the incident because it had started outside of school, and then it escalated in school. The principal at the school at this time was Dr. Hill, and she was a tough cookie to try to make crumble. That’s why when I went to the office she was threatening to give me 10 days at home or either alternative school. It wasn’t really my choice because she was shooting for alternative school but she saw the potential in me. She gave me 10 days. My mom tried to get it stuck in my head the summer before I came to Cedar Shoals that I can’t act up. The exact words that came out of her mouth were “You're going to high school Kendra, its time to grow up and be mature. High school is going to plan your future." While I was at home my class mates were at school getting there education. And what am I doing at home, and can’t talk on the phone? I felt so stupid because I could have avoided all of that nonsense, but I didn’t want anyone to think I was weak.
I learned that I can show people that I am not weak by not paying these boys and girls any attention; I learned that my knowledge will take me far, and fighting will get me shot, lock up or dead. You have too much potential to just throw it all away, too many people my color are held back from what they truly can be. The street is not a place where you want to be, trust me. The streets don’t show you love, whether you know it or not. You can believe me or believe them. You have your own mind and you have to make your own decisions. Only you can determine what you are going to be by your actions.
I learned that I can show people that I am not weak by not paying these boys and girls any attention; I learned that my knowledge will take me far, and fighting will get me shot, lock up or dead. You have too much potential to just throw it all away, too many people my color are held back from what they truly can be. The street is not a place where you want to be, trust me. The streets don’t show you love, whether you know it or not. You can believe me or believe them. You have your own mind and you have to make your own decisions. Only you can determine what you are going to be by your actions.
Everyone Has the Potential to Make Good Grades by Keedrick Rhodes
I remember being a freshman, and I remember how scared I was walking into my first day of high school. I remember how sexy all the senior girls were and how shy I was. I remember how scared I was of walking around a whole bunch of girls, because those girls might laugh at me and pick at me.
I started high school in the fall of 2005. I didn't have anyone to show me this or teach me that. I had to learn everything on my own.
Life changed so much for me in high school. I put on a lot of weight, and I didn’t really like myself. But no matter how early I had to catch the bus, because we lived so far from school or how late I had to stay up to study, I always had to think of the big picture. Problems don't last forever. The only constant thing in life is change.
Keep the grades up. Yea, all you need is a 2.0 to play basketball or football, but colleges don't like 2.0s. But not everyone thinks about going to college, or even bettering their education. I believe everyone has the potential to make great grades. My grades haven't been so good all my years of high school. But every year is different, and every person is different. I'm just saying that if you want something good for yourself, if you want to get out of the ghetto and you want to have nice things, you have to go to college and do well.
The next four years of your life, the parental stuff will be all out, for real. Especially if you are a male, but even worse, if you don't do well in school or if you do drugs. Try to stay active, get involved in sports, homework programs. If you are like me, I looked for reasons not to come home. My parents would say no if I asked to go to my friend’s house, but they couldn't say no if I asked to go to Homework Help.
Girls meant so much to me. You may go through at least three bad things your whole time in high school.
Finally, and this is the most important advice I could ever give anyone, freshmen in high school or not, be ready for anything. Life takes some serious twists and turns. But I learned a lot.
I started high school in the fall of 2005. I didn't have anyone to show me this or teach me that. I had to learn everything on my own.
Life changed so much for me in high school. I put on a lot of weight, and I didn’t really like myself. But no matter how early I had to catch the bus, because we lived so far from school or how late I had to stay up to study, I always had to think of the big picture. Problems don't last forever. The only constant thing in life is change.
Keep the grades up. Yea, all you need is a 2.0 to play basketball or football, but colleges don't like 2.0s. But not everyone thinks about going to college, or even bettering their education. I believe everyone has the potential to make great grades. My grades haven't been so good all my years of high school. But every year is different, and every person is different. I'm just saying that if you want something good for yourself, if you want to get out of the ghetto and you want to have nice things, you have to go to college and do well.
The next four years of your life, the parental stuff will be all out, for real. Especially if you are a male, but even worse, if you don't do well in school or if you do drugs. Try to stay active, get involved in sports, homework programs. If you are like me, I looked for reasons not to come home. My parents would say no if I asked to go to my friend’s house, but they couldn't say no if I asked to go to Homework Help.
Girls meant so much to me. You may go through at least three bad things your whole time in high school.
Finally, and this is the most important advice I could ever give anyone, freshmen in high school or not, be ready for anything. Life takes some serious twists and turns. But I learned a lot.
High School is Not a Game by Jasmine Davenport
My freshman year was like a big game to me. I didn’t take anything seriously. I talked back to all my teachers, I slept in class, and I played around with other students. I was sent out of class almost everyday. I just felt like high school was a big joke. The first semester of my 9th grade year I took Biology, Gym, health Occupations and a Government class. I did well in my Health Occupations class and my Government. In Gym I never did any work, I didn’t dress out, didn’t participate and so I failed that and I failed Biology. In the end, I passed six out of eight classes, but barely. At the end of the year, when I realized that I failed two classes, I really was upset and blamed it on my teachers, but it was me and I didn’t want to expect that.
It was my junior year when I moved to Cedar Shoals. I decided that high school was so much more than I was making it out to be. It was almost too late when I finally realized that high school was not a game, but I caught myself just in time. With support from my family and my counselor, I got back on track in time. My counselor came up with ways for me to graduate on time with my class. And now I am a senior waiting to graduate in May. I learned that I need to be more serious about many things in life and don’t take anything for granted. My experience also taught me to focus on my life and what I need to achieve all my goals and to better myself, and also to never give up on anything. I have really learned a lot from what I had to go through because some kids are so far behind and can’t catch up in time. I take that as a blessing and I learned to never make a mistake like this again.
From my experience, freshmen can learn that high school is not a big game at all. They should not take it as such. They should know not to get off track. They should know they have to focus on their work and what they need to make their lives better. They need to know their freshman year is the most important. You have to be to focused, but know when to have fun and when to separate fun from school.
It was my junior year when I moved to Cedar Shoals. I decided that high school was so much more than I was making it out to be. It was almost too late when I finally realized that high school was not a game, but I caught myself just in time. With support from my family and my counselor, I got back on track in time. My counselor came up with ways for me to graduate on time with my class. And now I am a senior waiting to graduate in May. I learned that I need to be more serious about many things in life and don’t take anything for granted. My experience also taught me to focus on my life and what I need to achieve all my goals and to better myself, and also to never give up on anything. I have really learned a lot from what I had to go through because some kids are so far behind and can’t catch up in time. I take that as a blessing and I learned to never make a mistake like this again.
From my experience, freshmen can learn that high school is not a big game at all. They should not take it as such. They should know not to get off track. They should know they have to focus on their work and what they need to make their lives better. They need to know their freshman year is the most important. You have to be to focused, but know when to have fun and when to separate fun from school.
Learn from Other People's Mistakes by Liliana Alvarez
Have you ever seen your friends talk about something so cool and bad at the same time? They talk for hours on what they have done and how fun it was. I remember my freshmen year, everything seemed so new to me and hard. I was really nervous, but all that went away during the middle of the year. I started meeting new friends and felt more comfortable with school. As I met new friends, it was during the middle of the year when people started skipping and doing drugs. My friends were part of it and since I seemed I was getting left out of all the fun. I began skipping class and not caring about school. I started waking up pretty late for school. School started at 8:00 a.m. That hour seem super early for me to wake up so I ignored the time and left for school at 12:00 p.m. My grades began to go down a lot. I continued doing this when I got into 10th grade. I don’t even know how I made it to 10th grade with me slacking off in school, but I made it.
Therefore, my family started noticing a difference in the way I acted and in my grades. I used to be an A and B student and it went down and I became a D or F student. Also, my older brother caught me deleting a voice message on the house phone, which was from the school saying that I missed class that day. He got into me a lot, he told my parents about how I changed. My parents were hardly home; they were worked all day. My family changed me. They got stricter; they talked to me and showed me how disappointed they were toward me. They got on my back a lot until they saw a difference in school and my attitude. I changed a lot in high school, I learned from my mistakes and I know I won’t be making them again.
From this experience I learned a lot. I learned not to be a follower, which means don’t do what everyone is doing just because they are doing it. Another thing is you should take your freshmen year more seriously because it is your first year. In high school teenagers, especially freshmen, get caught up in the high school drama. It messes them up throughout the year that’s how I messed up because I got caught up in high school drama but you just have to over come all those obstacles that come towards you.
I am not the only one that messed up in there freshmen year. A lot of teens do because they are new to it and they do what there friends do in order to fit in and not feel left out.
Freshmen can learn a lot from my experience. They can get a clear picture on high school life and the things they should avoid during there freshmen year. This will help them to not make the same mistakes I did my freshmen year. It helps them to be prepare for high school life, but in reality high school years are the best years. You learn a lot and you grow up and become prepared for the real life. The one piece of advice I think is important is to not depend on other people, rather then your family. Friends aren’t always going to be there. The ones that are always going to be there by your side through good and bad are your family. I think family should be the most important. It should be your first priority.
In conclusion, freshmen should keep in mind other people mistakes. They should take this experiences and advice into consideration. They could get a lot from this and it will help them through out their four years.
Therefore, my family started noticing a difference in the way I acted and in my grades. I used to be an A and B student and it went down and I became a D or F student. Also, my older brother caught me deleting a voice message on the house phone, which was from the school saying that I missed class that day. He got into me a lot, he told my parents about how I changed. My parents were hardly home; they were worked all day. My family changed me. They got stricter; they talked to me and showed me how disappointed they were toward me. They got on my back a lot until they saw a difference in school and my attitude. I changed a lot in high school, I learned from my mistakes and I know I won’t be making them again.
From this experience I learned a lot. I learned not to be a follower, which means don’t do what everyone is doing just because they are doing it. Another thing is you should take your freshmen year more seriously because it is your first year. In high school teenagers, especially freshmen, get caught up in the high school drama. It messes them up throughout the year that’s how I messed up because I got caught up in high school drama but you just have to over come all those obstacles that come towards you.
I am not the only one that messed up in there freshmen year. A lot of teens do because they are new to it and they do what there friends do in order to fit in and not feel left out.
Freshmen can learn a lot from my experience. They can get a clear picture on high school life and the things they should avoid during there freshmen year. This will help them to not make the same mistakes I did my freshmen year. It helps them to be prepare for high school life, but in reality high school years are the best years. You learn a lot and you grow up and become prepared for the real life. The one piece of advice I think is important is to not depend on other people, rather then your family. Friends aren’t always going to be there. The ones that are always going to be there by your side through good and bad are your family. I think family should be the most important. It should be your first priority.
In conclusion, freshmen should keep in mind other people mistakes. They should take this experiences and advice into consideration. They could get a lot from this and it will help them through out their four years.
Don't Play Around by Tre'mon Daniel
When I made it to high school, I thought that I could just stroll through and just sit back and relax in class. The years that I’ve been here I really thought about my classes and the credits that I needed to graduate. Then I thought about what college I wanted to go and who would expect me.
The things that I remember about my freshman year are that I didn’t get any credits. When I started my second year as a freshman, I got three out of eight credits. Then I thought to my self, that that was pretty good for me. But it wasn’t good enough for my mother. Then when came back around for my third year, I was still a freshman. So through the year I was having parent conferences. Then at the end of my third year I had gotten seven out of eight credits.
The experience that I had throughout my years here, I have learned that if you don’t do your work and pay attention in school you won’t graduate school on time. From that experience I have stayed on task and started to pay attention in all of my classes. Also I have stopped playing around in my classes.
So for you rising 9th graders, if you want to get out of high school and get a good job don’t play around in your classes. Don’t do what I did in my school years. For some advice, do all of your work and study hard in your classes and stay in school.
The things that I remember about my freshman year are that I didn’t get any credits. When I started my second year as a freshman, I got three out of eight credits. Then I thought to my self, that that was pretty good for me. But it wasn’t good enough for my mother. Then when came back around for my third year, I was still a freshman. So through the year I was having parent conferences. Then at the end of my third year I had gotten seven out of eight credits.
The experience that I had throughout my years here, I have learned that if you don’t do your work and pay attention in school you won’t graduate school on time. From that experience I have stayed on task and started to pay attention in all of my classes. Also I have stopped playing around in my classes.
So for you rising 9th graders, if you want to get out of high school and get a good job don’t play around in your classes. Don’t do what I did in my school years. For some advice, do all of your work and study hard in your classes and stay in school.
Dropping Out Isn't the Answer by Jamie Smith
At one time in my life I thought dropping out was for people who didn’t want to go school anymore. Now I know that those people are lazy and just have given up on school. There are some special cases, like if you get pregnant, or someone at home is sick. Leaving high school just because it’s too hard, the teacher’s being “mean” to you, or you can’t stop getting into trouble because the teachers make you mad and you have to react in someway to show you are in control isn’t the answer. For me dropping out was like a tradition in my family. My family has people that have dropped out because of different reasons. All of them have/are getting some kind of education. They will tell you that getting an education while you are young is the best idea, because your mind is still young and can hold all the information that is learned. When you get older its harder to remember that information, making school harder because you can’t remember what you learned 10 years ago. My family has really been the inspiration to do well in school.
Dropping out in 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade isn’t good for you, your family, or your future career. People who have 9th grade educations get jobs that aren’t good at all. You will have to work for others when you always wanted a career where people worked for you. There’s nothing good about working a minimum wage job trying to pay bills, feed and clothe yourself, and maybe another person (your child, or a person in your family). Getting a good career means getting to do something you have always wanted to do. That starts off with a good education.
The main lesson I want readers to know is that, although school is hard and challenging at times, push through it and be the best you can be. Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t, because you can. Go beyond and do better than what bad or good you see. There is so much more than high school graduation to get through to truly feel successful. College is a wonderful educational experience. Even though I haven’t yet attended, I look forward to learning about everything I’ve ever dreamed about. To get where I am, I had to work hard make great grades and let teachers and parents help along the way. Hope your 9th grade year is successful as well as the years to come!
Dropping out in 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade isn’t good for you, your family, or your future career. People who have 9th grade educations get jobs that aren’t good at all. You will have to work for others when you always wanted a career where people worked for you. There’s nothing good about working a minimum wage job trying to pay bills, feed and clothe yourself, and maybe another person (your child, or a person in your family). Getting a good career means getting to do something you have always wanted to do. That starts off with a good education.
The main lesson I want readers to know is that, although school is hard and challenging at times, push through it and be the best you can be. Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t, because you can. Go beyond and do better than what bad or good you see. There is so much more than high school graduation to get through to truly feel successful. College is a wonderful educational experience. Even though I haven’t yet attended, I look forward to learning about everything I’ve ever dreamed about. To get where I am, I had to work hard make great grades and let teachers and parents help along the way. Hope your 9th grade year is successful as well as the years to come!
Failing Too Many Classes by Elwyn Simons
My freshman year I passed all my classes but one. When I got to my sophomore year, I started failing most of my classes. At first I didn’t care, but after sophomore year was over, I realized that I had to repeat that year and pass all my classes. My parents, friends, and counselors helped me start passing. They told me if I don’t start passing my classes, I would end up graduating with my little brother. After they told me that, I had to sit down and start studying and doing my work.
I learned that I had to stop playing around and do my work. If I kept playing around like I did, I would have probably ended up dropping out. My parents said if I drop out, I have to get a job and help pay some bills. I didn’t want to do that, so I stayed in school and started passing my classes.
Freshman, don’t do what I did. Get all your work done the first time and wait until you’re done with your work to mess around. If you mess around and don’t do your work, you will end up in my situation and have to repeat your whole year. Just get your work done and don’t worry about messing around and talking to friends during class. Wait until after class to talk to them.
I learned that I had to stop playing around and do my work. If I kept playing around like I did, I would have probably ended up dropping out. My parents said if I drop out, I have to get a job and help pay some bills. I didn’t want to do that, so I stayed in school and started passing my classes.
Freshman, don’t do what I did. Get all your work done the first time and wait until you’re done with your work to mess around. If you mess around and don’t do your work, you will end up in my situation and have to repeat your whole year. Just get your work done and don’t worry about messing around and talking to friends during class. Wait until after class to talk to them.
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