A bead of sweat trickled across my neck like an ice-cold drop of rain running down a windowpane. I stood anxiously, juxtaposed to ten of my fifth grade classmates on a dusty six-inch high platform, each of us in our lint-free suits, as I stared forward to meet the unforgiving eyes of the students and teachers of Main Dunstable Elementary School. A steady stream of parents entered the gymnasium, and I heard chatter as parents and kids conversed noisily with each other. I felt my throat tighten and wished for the emcee, Mrs. Paradis, the principal of our school, to take up the microphone and begin the ceremony. My friends and I, hand-chosen by our fourth grade teachers to work with a special math teacher for a period of four months, had been competing in an exclusive contest called Math Olympiad. The Math Olympiad contest consisted of five intensive five-problem tests, given over a period of four months. Among the participants in our school, a score of three or below on any test was considered “bad.” Throughout the four months, I had been working hard, aiming to receive perfect scores on the tests. As the pressure …show more content…
Paradis finished calling the names and I was ushered off stage by Mrs. Nagri, the very math teacher with whom I had been working with for months. I was no longer recognized as a smart child who had participated in a demanding contest, rather, I was regarded as a child who did not have the mathematical capability that our school looked for in its children. As I watched from the side, the other students received awards, the best of which was a gold medal and trophy for my neighbor Shrey Patel, who had placed first in the competition within our school. All the kids remaining on stage had also qualified for the national event - an achievement which no one was going to forget for a long time. I watched my parents silently walk out of the gym, heads hung down, and I knew that they had higher hopes for me walking into the
6th grade was not all that bad. That is before the incident however. Going to school was fun for the most part, the classes were difficult, friends were plenteous, and the food was good. Life at Lancaster Country Day School was swell, again, before the incident. Now, said issue somewhat killed my image at the school and saved it at the same time; it also made me question others. Were my friends really my friends? Or did they use me to as a sick and twisted way to formulate drama? I had a friend. I had many friends really, I was friends with the whole 50 people in my grade. But this friend, this friend was different. Her name Mady Gosselin. Yes, the Mady Gosselin from Kate Plus 8. We had been close, I talked to her almost every day. However,
I, Brianna Felgoise have made it through these long and eventful three years of middle school. Throughout these years i've learned a lot of things about myself that I did not know before. Looking back from the day I first walked through the doors to this building to now, just about time for me to walk out. So much has changed and I am realizing my growth both physically and mentally. Throughout this long journey I have found myself testing my limits and lengthening my boundaries. Much has been achieved. So far I am very proud.
On October 29th Saturday, I participated in a volunteer opportunity with the democratic campaign. The office had more than 20 people, some of them were making phone calls. I received a package with a map, a list of people’s name, address, and other basic information about the person. My duty was knocking those people’s doors and ask them “who are you going to vote?” “Do you have any things that you want to say about the society?” I do not have a car so they assigned me to the place which is located in walking distance from Beloit College. A married couple who were at the office offered me a ride to Campus. Both of them are in their 50’s. They told me that they have a friend who is now teaching at a university in Tokyo, Japan. The lady also had been to Japan in 1980 as a student. Her husband did not talk much.
My middle school years were incredible. I went to three different schools during my middle school years. I attended McIntyre Middle School, Millbrook Middle School, and Brewbaker Middle School. All three of these schools were amazing and I did great things at each school. I would love to relive my middle school years. I believe middle school could make or break a child. Many children had problems in middle school but me on the other hand went through middle school with a breeze. I never had a problem with any class or subject in middle school. Many of the students adored me at each school I attended. It was never a problem for me to make new friends. If I could go back to middle school I would.
With ten minutes left on the clock, I check my answers once again. I look around the Baton Rouge High School canteen to see that most students have already handed in their tests. I flip through my answers one last time before handing the test paper to the Algebra-II test collector. My friend waves at me as I walk outside the canteen. I go over to her and ask her about the test. She says that she thinks she has done well. I am confident about most of my answers too, but I feel like I took too much time to complete the test. When we see students walking towards the theater, we head that way. We sit down with students from our school for the awards ceremony. When the announcers call out the names of Algebra-II winners, I am surprised and elated to hear my name in the first position. The weekend and the night before the
The city of Naples Florida is where my parents met and in 1994 fell in love and started a family. Their ultimate goal was to make sure that we, my two older brothers and I did our best in school and went to college. My parents made sure that we did our homework every night and read for at least thirty minutes every night also. One of their many reasons of coming to America was for a better life with so many opportunities. They both came from one of the most poorest countries in the caribbean, Haiti. They left Haiti with the biggest dreams in which they would conquer in America. And I believe that it is their ultimate goal for us to have a better life and to have one we must work hard in school. I remember as a child how I use to draw all the
I visited Findley Elementary School in Des Moines, Iowa on April eighth. Before attending Findley, I had never heard of the Turnaround Arts Program and how schools were using art and music as a way to help improve student learning and test scores. Findley Elementary school is considered a high-needs school because of their consistently low test scores. For this reason, they were eligible for the Turnaround Arts Program which provides art education resources to high-needs schools. At Findley and other Turnaround Arts Programs, teachers incorporate art, music, and drama to connect with students and provide them with an easier way to learn. There are many benefits of art and music education which include improvements in math and reading, reduction in suspensions, and increased attendance. Along with these general benefits, students claim it helps them concentrate more and control their behavior. Since Findley became a part of the Turnaround Arts Program in 2011, they have improved 11.40 percentage points in math proficiency, increased their reading proficiency score by 2.50
Most of the memories that I remember as a younger student took place in Monett Elementary School. The environment of the school made me feel at liberty. Around the 2000’s was when I was first introduced to this school. One afternoon during an Open House I looked around and read posters that read “Go Cubs.” At the time I didn’t know if I was more nervous than excited. The classroom walls were purple and gold. My class had around 27 students enrolled. This was the average class size at the time.
As I think back, I went to Christa Mcauliffe Elementary school; our school symbol were the explorers. The principal of Mcauliffe elementary was Mr. Daniel Pokett, and my sixth grade teacher was Miss Stone. In sixth grade I was really scared of Junior High because of three things: Lockers, Homework that was too hard, and teachers that didn’t explain how to do the homework. I have a lot of friends at my church and they all said that junior high was simple, but my teachers said otherwise. I chose to believe my teachers and I turned into an annoying perfectionist, but when I met first 8th grade teacher, Mr. Roland, I told myself to be me again. I had heard from many people that Tevis Junior High was the best school in the district and now that
"Rafal, why don't you participate in the contest that I was talking about. I think you have a chance to win" my teacher proposed. When I was in fifth grade in elementary school I had my first chance to participate in an art contest. The name of the contest was "spring," so kids had to draw or paint a picture that represents the landscape in the spring season. In school there were many kids who could draw and paint well. My friend Marcin really made better pictures then I did, so when I went home from school I didn't have enough faith to even try. I didn’t do anything about that whole day.
They often distinguish me as an exceptional teacher and one that they can count on when they need support. My students feel empowered to accept math challenges without fear of failure even if they do not always win the competition. I feel honored when my students refer to me as their favorite teacher and math as their favorite subject. I believe that my love of teaching, patience, words of encouragement, great sense of humor, and my compassion as a mentor has helped to shape the school and community’s perception of who I
It was in 2010, when I was still in Vietnam, and coming up was a very hard Transitional Exam from Secondary School to High School, which included a three-part exam: Math, English, and Literature, that all ninth graders, including myself, were very frustrated about. It was the key to open the door to a student’s dream. Because the better the high school you got into, the better education you would get, and the better preparation you would have to increase your chance to get into a great college. For that reason, every student needed to study for the exam with their best efforts.
Sooner did I know, the days drew closer and the exam that tested our competence was due. Each and every individual had to be paid in his own coin. The exam started and my aspirations were high, for I knew the extent to which I was to perform. From a personal point of view, I thought I tackled each and every set of questions in those papers profoundly and expected nothing less than an “A”. Just like how it takes a while for a rocket to move from the earth to space so did the days of this exams week, and suddenly I realized that I was writing my final paper. What my colleagues and I had dreamt of some years back was to be experienced within a few hours. “Yes!” we were graduating out of basic school; the battle that we had to fight after several days of intensive teaching without leaving any stone unturned was over. And the question that engulfed my sub conscience mind was “had we all fought a good cause?” A q...
Soon it was time for my speech. I was introduced, and as I walked to the podium, I couldn't help but smile at the audience. I had a feeling of complete exhilaration flowing through my veins. When I finished, I received a standing ovation, and Mrs. Dole surprised me by giving me a great hug and thanking me for my comments on the importance of education. But even after she finished speaking, the excitement was far from over.
My father is a mathematics teacher and everyone presumed that I also have a bright mind like my father. But the truth was quite bitter. Even though I was brought up with all the facilities a child could get, still I was an average student. This was my parents’ deepest despondency. I was a student with good knowledge and memory, but my indolence always dragged me to average standard.