High grades equal happiness

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Recently an event changed my life and my mother’s perspective towards me. It was my school grades. I was glad to find out that I went from being a student who got low grades to actual high grades from 90s and above. Before I came to this great school, Bronx Academy, I used to go to a commonly known school, De Witt Clinton High School.

I started out as an Honor student, which I was since 6th grade. I enjoyed going to my old school. The thing I really disliked was the atmosphere. It didn’t pretty much motivate me to go to school. All the atmosphere did was push me away. This caused me to be low-average student. Since the atmosphere was horrible with many fights and the way students had to be controlled made me stop going to school. De Witt Clinton’s own principal had to walk the hallways to make sure everyone was in class.

My grades soon started to drop due to not coming to school, and it was all because the lack of motivation. After I was kicked out of honors, this discouraged my mother. I didn’t like being viewed this way because many people considered me to be a “dropout” and “dumb.” Nobody wants to be viewed this way, but eventually it took me about 2 and ½ years to realize I wasn’t going to head anywhere if I kept going on with my habits.

My mother eventually lost her trust towards me because she didn’t understand how I did so bad. I tended to be “the smart one” in the family, like Malcolm from that show "Malcolm in the Middle." It was like a teen phase I went through because my mother would argue with me, and sometimes the arguments didn’t turn out right. I wouldn’t talk to my mother for days, and it wasn’t pleasant, because I needed her. It wasn’t only school, but personal problems and relationships which every teen goes through. I grew up from that phase after I decide to cut off all my problems, which isn’t an easy step for anyone. I don’t know how I changed from one day to another.

I transferred to Bronx Academy, it was strange to know that I would have to start all over again, but at the same time I was glad I had another chance to succeed. Now I come to school every day. And since I still have some of my old habits from my old school I tend to take small breaks, but I end up making up all my work and still continue doing good in my class.

Before when I pictured my future it was like an average middle class family, average job, kids, and unhappy life and probably not even having a high school diploma. I can now see my future as a graduate from Bronx Academy and going to college, if possible and having the career as a lawyer that I wanted to be since I was a young girl. You can achieve anything you want in life as long as you try your best.