Category: Unit 1

Is mediocrity a bad thing? Is accepting mediocrity a bad thing? Throughout our lives we are always trying to do our best to get something that we want. I feel like this was especially true for many when it came to their time in school. To me I feel that generally you do not need to go out of your way though, especially with school (unless of course you have some really big career plans down the line). I believe it is acceptable because I have been in the same position before, and to me, keeping in the middle ground is not such a bad thing. Above all that, I also learned that there are some things you can’t change no matter how hard you try.

I have been on both sides of the equation and it has let me understand what both sides offer you at the very least. From as early as 1st grade up until 8th grade I had held the top position of the class for the sake of making my parents and myself proud. I was always on top of my assignments and while my friends goofed around in class I was attentive and ignorant of the kind of distractions that would either get me in trouble or hinder my progress. Years in and by around 6th grade I had noticed that I wasn’t even trying to do well yet I was still just a model student. I began to notice how much freedom I truly had to do what I wanted. Things got a little complicated going forward especially in 8th grade, but that’s another point to be made. After a while of me easing up it began to be a normal thing and I subconsciously dropped myself down in standing as it is still to be expected. It included my lowest point academically and my climb back to an acceptable level with me emerging as I am today. In it all I have learned a few things. From my years of trying my best, I would only impress the teachers, other students on an academic level, and my parents. To anyone that exists out of that spectrum they see me as just me, unless of course the me they see is some sort of doctor, engineer, rocket scientist, etc. I never had those intentions with a career anyway so it was pointless to go beyond what I’m capable at a comfortable level.

My biggest take away in all my academic years so far has been how much not trying as hard made part of my life that much better. I was aware of positions like honor roll and Valedictorian/Salutatorian, but those things kind of fell away from me. Instead of working my way (at least I still got honor roll) towards the higher positions, Instead I used my time to hang out with friends and generally mess around. I have so many fond memories in high school from playing sports with my friends, walking around Manhattan, playing video games with them, and generally just living in the moment. My father always used to say to live the present too and though it is a one track mindset I can agree. For what it is that I want to be (a programmer to make video games) studying and focusing on work primarily would have meant I didn’t have the kinds of experiences that I had in the past few years. Trying to do your best kind of makes you miss out on some of the simpler things in the moment. Of course for some people they can’t afford to do that and it’s understandable, but for those who can, I see no reason why if you can help it.

The thing is, it isn’t to an innate lack of motivation to try that alone led me the path that I have traveled to reach this point. A lot of it was circumstantial and has led me to my third point. You just can’t change some things. My lowest points came in the period of 8th to 9th grade. To that I have to blame my home situation. It pretty much became such a toxic environment for me and I couldn’t simply focus on school, I had given myself an escape in video games at first mostly as 8th grade didn’t give me many other options than go to school then go home since it was a few blocks away. It wasn’t until 9th grade that I could just roam Manhattan with a friend of mine if I didn’t just cut school to stay in my room and play games feigning sickness. By 10th I moved out to my eldest sister in Long Island where I could start anew. I actually tried again contrary to what I have been saying, sitting with a 3.5 gpa. I even got a part time job and still I had time for things like video games. It was great until due to unfortunate circumstances I found myself back in the apartment that I had moved from initially to escape and it was somehow worse. I had to transfer back to my old high school and all, but something had happened that just shattered my state of being. My hard work was all washed away to just show transfer credits, in fact I got to take back my old GPA with attendance and all from 9th grade (the beauty that is the New York City DOE). It was a huge blow, but at that point I became numb to it because I realized then that it didn’t matter because I could do nothing about it. From there on I simply went with the motions of normality where in my last 2 and a half years (I transferred halfway into 10th grade) it ended up being some of the best years I have consciously had. Sometimes life is just unfair and you can’t do anything about it. The best you can do is tough it out and make the most of things. In my case, the friends and the time that I had on hand was what I made the most of and I don’t regret the attention I gave towards them rather than my academic life.

Accepting mediocrity rather than going out of your way for being exceptional is acceptable. Having experienced all spectrums of what you could be academically I have realized that mediocre stands to be my favored point and even the most desirable if life has it out for you. Because nothing stings more than to lose what you worked so hard for to something you had no control over. So what is it to take away from this? If you want to be known by many and achieve your biggest of dreams then ignore this. This wouldn’t apply to you rather than just give you the satisfaction of having read this. For everyone else, you can’t win everything. If you know what you want and you are prepared and able to do what you need to do that, then just do that. Nothing more and nothing less.

Educational Narrative

Sweaty palms, stuttering, and shame were common in my English class. The fear of learning a new language extended to the class setting and was a major impediment to my expected progress. Although poor vocabulary was also a challenge, the fear of castigation from other students was prominent despite my interest in learning a new language. Learning from the beginning and hesitation in speaking also impeded my progress while learning a new language. I had to start with the basics, such as the alphabet, which made me feel stupid. Greetings and everyday phrases were also a challenge that significantly impeded my learning. Although I had significant proficiencies in my native language as a new language, I discovered learning from the beginning, hesitation, poor vocabulary, grammar challenges, thinking in another language, and attitude were major impediments.

Learning English is a challenging aspect, especially for international students. From personal experiences, learning new alphabets and greetings made me feel stupid, especially due to my level of proficiency in my native language. I would describe the experience as learning from scratch. Although I could fluently speak and connect with others, putting my thoughts on paper was a significant impediment. Observing others in my class gave me some hope and highlighted the primary challenges that English learners go through. I remember seeing my friends hesitate to create coherent sentences and express themselves fully in written language, although they had little challenges speaking. And then one of the students whispered to me, “maybe you should try sciences. People from your region are successful at that,” a stereotype I vowed to prove wrong.

I was ashamed to make mistakes when speaking, leading to hesitation, and stuttering, despite significant proficiencies in speaking English. Reminiscing on my experiences, I would hesitate to talk to others, owing to the fear of shame. Questions like, “why are you so quiet?” significantly and adversely affected my confidence, resulting in hesitation and stuttering. I would choose to remain quiet, other than speak and embarrass myself in front of peers. However, personal experiences with friends were encouraging and played a vital role in increasing my confidence. Despite my fears, I learned that friends who had more experience were willing to listen and offer help, positively correct, and encourage me to learn. Although others laughed, especially when I made mistakes, I would also receive positive feedback, which was vital in my mastering English progress.

Reading newspapers, blogs, and watching movies helped develop proficiency in English. Although I made considerable effort to increase and expand my vocabulary, speaking the words and relating them with others was not easy. A crucial lesson from my experiences was the need for consistency, despite the numerous setbacks that may occur. I was self-conscious about my grammar, although I later discovered it was not a critical part of learning spoken language. My challenges in the area included talking about my deficiencies with friends and asking for help when necessary. In this regard, I committed to purchasing and read at least two grammar books annually to address any challenges in the area. However, I soon discovered knowledge is best attained when practiced. Subsequently, overcoming my shyness and talking to others were vital aspects that I needed to pursue. I soon learned to ask for help, particularly from tutors, whenever I faced challenges in tenses and other grammar aspects. It was frustrating, particularly when I saw other people progressing in the area and having lesser difficulties than me. Patience and lots of practice were crucial aspects that I learned from my experiences. One of the most successful aspects that promoted progress in learning was thinking in the new language.

I discovered I was directly translating words from one language to the next, an aspect that adversely affected my success. Awareness about personal challenges is vital in promoting progress and addressing the identified issues. In my experiences, I discovered I was struggling to translate words in my head after a tutor pointed out the problem in class directly. The issue resulted in additional confusion, where I would take significant time translating words to understand or try to learn them. After the awareness, I attempted avoiding direct translation and committed to thinking in the new language, regardless of the number of words I was comfortable with. The greatest lesson from the challenge is that every language has its voice.

In conclusion, despite a person’s level of proficiency, learning a new language can be challenging for most individuals. Various issues, such as the need to learn from the beginning, hesitation to speak, and struggling with poor vocabulary, are prominent. Self-motivation is a vital component that increases competency, although learners should be ready to address such challenges with little outside help. Self-awareness and the readiness to ask for help are crucial when learning a new language. From personal experiences, challenges with grammar, thinking in another language, and a negative attitude towards learning was critical. In such a case, vital lessons encompass persistence, understanding the self, and developing a precise vision of where the learner wants to be or attain in a provided timeline.