‘This I Believe’ Essay from a BPL Student in Beaverton, OR
May 1, 2010
by BPL Student Crystal in Beaverton, OR
I believe that with the right kind of help I can accomplish anything I set out to do. All my life school and everything that had to do with school would be last on my mind. I use to pretend to be sick or “accidentally” sleep in to avoid as much school as possible. I always felt that the teachers didn’t understand me. I never learned well with their teaching methods. I went all the way to 9th grade barely doing OK. It wasn’t until 10th grade that I discovered a technique I could use, and would use, all my life; a better way of managing my time.
In the last few months of 9th grade, I was really looking for something to help me enjoy school more. I came across a poster in the counseling office that read “Terra Nova High School” on it. I went to my counselor and asked her about it. She told me that it was a small alternative high school that focused on the individual learning of each student. After thinking about it I decided to fill out the enrollment paper and try out this “Terra Nova school” for my 10th grade year.
On my first day at Terra Nova, I was very skeptical. There were only 40 students and 3 teachers. I was already informed before hand that the school was going to be small but, actually seeing it shocked me. We spent our first week playing games and getting to know each other as a school. The next week we decided on classes we wanted to take. Each grade had their own advisory. My advisory teacher was Maryliz Herron.
During advisory time we were taught how to better manage our time and given a yearly planner to keep track of any work we had to do. I found out that writing in a planner every day was something that really helped me figure out what I needed to get done that day. I learned how to set goals and deadlines for myself which helped me get my work done and in on time.
When report cards came out, I was excited to see what mine would be like. To my surprise my grades were all A’s and B’s. That was the best report card I had had in a while.
Through my teachers I learned better ways of managing my time. I began to take on new projects and, I learned how to get things done by when they needed to be turned in. My teacher took the time to help me individually, and find what kinds of methods best helped me to learn. This is something I have taken with me since I first discovered it. Terra Nova is a great school for kids suffering and suffocating in a big, regular high school. The teachers at Terra Nova are always there to help and listen to anything you have to say. I thank my teacher, Maryliz, for helping me, and doing everything she did so that I enjoyed school more.