by John, San Mateo
Something that has happened to me that I will never forget was when I was able to get promoted to the ninth grade. It was a great moment for me to remember because I had classes I was failing which were math and history. Math was hard and has always been a difficult class for me to pass in school. I would ask for teachers for extra help after hours. It was frustrating because I would have a lot of questions like “What does the variable do in this equation?” And history was difficult because of the timeline in history, and questions like, “who was a general?” or “how many people were in the war?” Thankfully, I was able to receive great help from the teachers as they always gave extra effort and dedication to their students. My middle school teachers would tell me, “When you go to high school, you’ll have to do all your studying and sports in a structured schedule because teachers don’t really care if you pass or not.” I didn’t take their advice as seriously as I should have.
When I was at my eighth-grade promotion, it was a big day for all of the eighth graders in the school district. I woke up early that day and it was like a mini prom for me. I had my outfit hanging on my door. The outfit I had consisted of black and silver Calvin Klein shoes, black pants, black and silver belt, and a black tie. I was so pumped for the day. I had my teacher pick me up at about nine AM. Our school had their own ceremony and then there was a ceremony for the whole district of eighth graders at two PM.
It was a special day for me because many teachers would say that I would not get to the eighth-grade promotion. But I am a person that goes all out. For example, my best mile time was a 6:12. Thankfully, I proved to every teacher that thought I wouldn’t walk that promotion stage wrong. The teachers were proud of me and they wanted to take a photo with me and my family.
It was a great moment for me to see my dad smile and say the words, “I’m proud of you.” It made me feel so bright inside to see my family smile and be happy. I am glad and proud that I got to walk that stage.