Like most people I hate being forced to do something I don’t want nor enjoy doing. I think everyone can agree that being forced to do something when you’re not genuinely interested in is dreadful. It becomes an obligation rather than a positive experience which can make finding the motivation for it hard. This was true for most of my time in school until senior year. Throughout my whole academic career I was never really interested in any classes. I felt as though school was a burden. That was until I had people to motivate me, like my parents and my teacher. Without these people to help me I most likely that I would not be where I am today. Instead, I would probably be working a regular minimum wage job and being home all day rather than trying to further my education. Going to college was something I never really planned and much less wanted to do. Just the thought of having to be in school for an extra four years when I didn’t really have to irritated me. I felt as though school was an obligation instead of an opportunity to gain knowledge and keep you on track to success. But when I got to my senior year everything changed. I had a teacher who understood and genuinely cared. Having a good teacher and my parents to encourage me opened up my eyes and made me realize that I did want to further my education.
My grades were always mediocre throughout middle school, and as high school came it got worse. It was like my whole educational career was a downwards spiral. Having no support from my teachers made it worse. Teachers never showed interest. It felt like if I wasn’t a straight A student with perfect attendance then I wasn’t worth the extra effort. It made it very difficult for me to find the motivation to do anything when the very people who were in charge of education couldn’t care less. Not only this but the teachers would also allow students to do anything they wanted. There was barely any learning and even less respect in the classroom. I felt like helpless, like the education system was failing me. No matter how much I tried I just could not find the motivation to actually care about school. It wasn’t until my senior year that everything changed. My senior year was when I got an amazing teacher for my trigonometry class. My trigonometry teacher always showed that he cared and would not let me get off without doing my very best. If there was an area that I was struggling he worked with me after school to make sure I got it. He made sure I showed up and was on time to all of my classes. It was refreshing to finally have a teacher that cared for my education and even just me as a person. This sparked the motivation for me to do better in school and continue educating myself.
It is important to have a great support system during your education career. Without one, it can become very easy to lose sight of the the purpose of education and give up due to lack of motivation. I, myself, was almost a victim to this, however having a great teacher and amazing parents by my side to motivate and support me made me realize I had the ability to be great the whole time. They gave me the motivation I lacked in order to finish out my high school career. My parents’ played the most important role in all of this by constantly telling me to do my work and being on my case about it. If they had not been there to motivate me I would not have gone to college. I would probably be home all day doing nothing or working at a minimum wage job with no career. People like me prove to others that it is crucial to seek guidance if you need it. Guidance can come from a friend, family member, school staff member, or whoever you’re comfortable talking to. Even the smallest amounts of encouragement can go a long way.
In school I came to a realization that not all methods of learning work for me. It is difficult when you’re in a class and a teacher just throws a worksheet in front of your face. I’ve experienced this on multiple occasions, which also played a part in my lack of interest in school. For me, reading from a textbook or being lectured doesn’t help me retain any information. I enjoy hands on work , and group work that’ll allow me to learn and share new ideas with my peers. It is important to find new ways to help you learn, this can help with an increase in interest in the material you’re learning. One thing that helped me tremendously was setting goals for myself. Setting goals for myself allowed me to accomplish things I never knew I could accomplish and helped me stay focused In school.
Without people to motivate me like my parents and my teacher I would not be sharing my educational narrative with you today. Having these people in my life really made me change for the better. Without my trigonometry teacher to make sure I was doing and actually understanding my work I would not be where I am now. Furthermore, without my parents constantly hassling me to get my work done and to always do my best I probably wouldn’t have continued on this path. With that being said, if you’re like me and are having trouble finding the motivation and will to continue in school, or even outside of school take this as a sign to try new ways to better yourself. For me it was seeking guidance, finding a new way to learn, and setting practical goals for myself along with a solid support system that allowed me to find the motivation to continue my education and go to college.
