Outline and Opening – Raul M

1. The writing prompt that I will use is “SAVED.” 
2. The Main idea of my education narrative will be that I was a lost kid during high school until I found someone to guide me in the right direction and even found something I became good at. 
3. OUTLINE: 

1. The introduction would be about starting my 2^nd semester in high school and describing how my math and advisory classes went.  

2. Event 1: In High School, everyone had to choose a club, but I felt like I would not be good enough in anything I ever chose, so I decided to be myself most of the time and even chose a club out of random because I had to. 

3. Event 2: I picked an art class because it was the easiest, but I realized it wasn’t very interesting. I could not draw to save my life until Mr. Smith found me sitting in the back of the class with my head down and asked if I would like to take his coding course/Math Course because he glanced over at my math book.  

4. Event 3: I decided to take his course because it was intriguing and fun, and my mind likes puzzles and deciphering things from computers. He agreed to tutor me so I could enhance my knowledge of math and coding and even showed me my potential. 

5. Conclusion: A conversation about believing in myself more and giving myself credit for all my hard work in his class. And to never sell myself short because  

6. Overall Message: I learned that you should only sell yourself short if you miss 100% of the shots you do not take and to always have faith that I could do something for myself if I believe. 

It was the end of my winter break; I had just finished my 1^st semester of high school. I had to wake up at 6 in the morning to get ready for school. It was so cold that morning that I decided to stay in bed a bit longer, wrapped up in my blanket like I was a mummy. After a couple of minutes had passed, my mom decided to knock on my door and asked, “Raul, are you awake yet and out of bed? You must prepare for school. It is the start of your 2^nd semester, and you cannot afford to be late.” I was annoyed when my mom told me that because I knew I could not be late. I did not want to go to school because I was always shy, I did not have many friends, and I struggled a lot in school when it came to English and science. My only favorite class was Math because I enjoyed puzzles, and my teacher, Ms. Fidel, was hilarious. She referred to her students as “turkeys.” It was questionable, but I did not mind it. I even started doing it to her and my friends. 

While I was in school, our 3rd-period class ended, and everyone had to get too advisory, but since our high school was so small, the hallways were always packed, which was annoying. I had to squeeze through everyone to attend class on time; it was like a prison. Everyone moved so slowly, like they had cuffs on their ankles, plus everyone wanted to talk to their friends while getting to class. When I reached class, they had already started without me, but luckily, my advisor, Mr.V, was able to catch me up on everything, from what the semester would look like and what clubs were available. I decided to choose art because it was the easiest one. I could have selected math, but I probably wouldn’t have gotten in with all the advanced kids. They could solve equations in their heads while I had to solve them on paper, and I even had to count on my fingers. I could have been better at it. I never really believed in myself. I could solve equations independently, but I constantly compared myself to my friends and some other classmates who were better than me because they did not struggle like I did.