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Reach a Student is a website established to give students direct communication access to student mentors in various grade levels. Students will be able to reach out to other students and ask any questions they have regarding student and campus life. The site will also stream videos of students sharing their experiences at Windermere Prep as well as activities around campus. Find Out More
I
come from an educational system that does not put as much emphasis on grades at
such a young age as they do in the USA, at least not until the child is older.
What I would like to say to all of the students at WPS is not to worry about
the grade but to think instead, 'What have I learned?', and what is the next
step. School should be a voyage of learning, and if someone becomes obsessed
with a letter grade, rather than what they are actually learning, I think that
is a shame. You are more than a letter scrawled onto a page. If you got a good
grade, then great, but what does it ACTUALLY mean? Do you reflect on why you
got a good grade, and what you took away from that period of learning? Do you
think to yourself, what else could I learn about this? How could I extend my
learning? Was this fascinating to me, or something that I only tolerate because
I have to? Likewise, when you get a bad grade, do you ask why? What does this
mean for me? Do you find out what exactly you didn't do well or understand so
that you can fix it for next time? The WHY is more important than the grade.
Why am I studying this? Why is it important? What does it mean to me? Don't
reduce your brainpower to a letter grade. You are so much more than that. You
are creativity and problem solving. You are design and debate. Don't do things
for a grade, do them because they matter to you and you know the reason why!
If I had the chance to go
back to middle school and high school there would be some things I would do
differently. Although I am a teacher- and teachers love learning- we all didn't
start off perfectly and I am certainly one of those. Here are some pieces of
advice that I think will help you capitalize on your chances of making the most
of your education and the time and resources in front of you all.
Don't be afraid to ask questions/make
mistakes. Nervous that the teacher will think you are weird
for asking a question? Afraid of taking a more difficult class because you
might not get an A? Shy because of what you are going to look like in front of
your secret crush? Your education is yours and you have every right to ask
questions, challenge yourself and make mistakes; whoever makes fun of you for
this or criticizes you is not on the true path to learning.
Read!Read as much as you can about whatever topic you are interested in. I know you
have heard this before but the truth is that so much of our productive time is
wasted on doing unproductive tasks. Instead of reading a magazine, a book for
school/pleasure, or researching world events, we watch TV, surf the Internet
for meaningless things or worry about superficial nonsense. Get off of Facebook,
don't worry who is dating who, don't worry about whatever reality TV show's
next episode may bring, or if someone has a nicer car than you. All of that
time can instead be used for discovering something new and bettering yourself.
So get out there and read!
Push yourself to read outside of your interests. If you love
science, try reading something about art. If you love theater, try reading
something about history. You never know just what you might stumble upon and
how it can benefit and change you. I believe we should all strive to be
comprehensive learners and learn many topics from the whole gamut.
Gain discipline Not only should you push yourself to read and to read other topics,
but push yourself to learn and see the value of other subjects. Don't think
that just because something is boring, or not 'your thing' that you can't learn
from it. Be open and give it a chance. This requires discipline and patience.
Too often I see students who lose interest, motivation and respect for a topic
because it does not offer instant gratification like an IPAD or a play station
would. Learning can be fun but its not all entertainment. And yes let me point
that out…you are not in school to be
entertained. Learning requires
discipline to be able to appreciate these moments of diversion.
Think of the bigger world. You
must start to realize that the more you learn about the bubble outside of
yourself, your school, your neighborhood, your state, your country, and even
the earth, the more you will discover your own place and purpose. There are
people just like you in other parts of the world…learn about them! This world
and universe is a neat place so take interest in it all.
Sometimes as a child I would describe myself like
an egg. On the outside a hard shell, smooth and flawless in appearance
but on the inside a mushy soft, runny liquid.
I'll explain…
I was put ahead a grade in 1st grade basically
because I knew my ABC's and could read while our Pre-K students now a days can
recite their ABC's and read in usually more than one language:) With a
late spring birthday this made me very young for the class which was like a
neon sign saying come pick on me. I was lucky academically where I liked
school and the subjects came easier than normal to me, again a flashing neon
sign. I was painfully shy and didn't have a lot of friends, this time the
flashing neon sign is playing a tune here, you follow me?:) Grades 1-5
were uneventful, no one noticed me so I went about business without any
problems. By 6th grade though, that was another story. My middle
school years were tough. I was picked on and ridiculed. I wasn't
physically bullied, it was all verbal which to me is worse. I would've much
rather been hit once and been able to walk away with an external bruise,
instead I had to be the egg, hard on the outside but a pile of mushy liquid
inside.
Unfortunately, I have no words of advice on how
to deal with a similar situation at the time of occurrence I put my head down
and prayed my way through but I can tell you now that those crucial years most
definitely made me the person I am today. I have tolerance, I have
compassion, and I have empathy. Strangely enough I'm an eternal optimist,
I see the good in everyone and everything. I am a parent who will not
tolerate my child treating their friends and peers with anything but respect
and courtesy. I will not partake in gossip or hearsay and I only surround
myself with positive people. Sounds like I got it all together right, not
in the least! I don't talk about my middle school years often but I will
divulge them to a crying student who thinks no one could possibly know what they
are going through at the moment. I hope to give them some hope, some
reassurance and some optimism. Because everything you do in life shapes
what kind of person you can become.
