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Adversity In High School

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The term ‘adversity’ has a generally negative connotation, but when managed correctly, the outcome can be quite positive. Instilling this in the minds of adolescents can be crucial in shaping the character of school age children. Adversity triggers one’s natural fight or flight response, and regardless of the action taken, the result lies in hindsight. When this word, adversity, comes to mind, I am prompted to reflect upon my academic experience as I entered high school. Prior to this transition, school was a very low priority in my mind. In middle school, I was able to glide through the coursework, but I was forced out of this trance that I had become accustomed to. Grades and grade point average (GPA) dropped to levels I had never witnessed. Suddenly, the cloud of privilege I was once blanketed by drifted out of sight and I had to face the reality that if I didn’t become more engaged in my learning, I would be destined for a mediocre future. …show more content…
Through joining multiple extracurriculars - which most notably include concert/pep band, National Honor Society, and knowledge bowl - I explored the wide array of opportunities presented in each. Despite the rise in my GPA, these were simply statistics and their value is only subjective. They don’t represent one’s actual learning. I focused all of my time and energy scrutinizing my statistics, I based my self-worth primarily on my grades. This paradigm can cause many students unnecessary agitation. Ideally, the goal of both primary and secondary education should be to give young people the resources to learn, not to become the top student with the best grades. I should have had this in mind when I was taking my earlier

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