It was the beginning of August, the end of summer, when everybody’s school jitters were sprouting once again. I was finally going to be in high school. I’ve been waiting for this year since the beginning of middle school.

   Growing up, I was always advanced and ahead in school. I never got below a B on any tests or quizzes or even homework. When the first semester of my freshman year started on August 11, I was beyond shocked when I realized that some subjects such as biology and history won’t always come easy to me.

   Because of the change from middle school to high school, I experienced less motivation and passion to be advanced or ahead in school. 

  This struggle encounterment made me realize that a student’s grades shouldn’t define who they are or how hard they work.

   When I started to struggle and had trouble learning, I realized that I shouldn’t be known as unintelligent just because I struggled in one or two subjects. I needed to figure out my personal best way of learning, which in this case was writing everything down and taking neat notes.

   If you are smarter than others, you shouldn’t judge but more so you should help encourage others who struggle and give them a helping hand. 

   I’ve noticed that teachers tend to be more strict with students who struggle in their class. This matter doesn’t improve those students who have a hard time learning or adjusting. Some of my teachers like this made it harder for me to adjust to highschool than others.

   Teachers have a higher respect for students who are easily motivated in their class. So when I struggled in biology or history, I felt less respect from teachers.

   There is a normalized stereotype when it comes to the different types of students: students who get bad grades vs. students who get good grades.  

   Advancing from middle school into high school made me realize that people will struggle, people will judge you, and people will stereotype. 

   No matter what grades you achieve, you should be earning the same respect from teachers and other students. 

   With the help of teachers and students, we can improve this change for future students who may struggle.