I ask myself open-ended questions sometimes. I've always found good debating practice in self-arguing. The way I see it, if I can prove myself wrong, then I can prove anyone else wrong. Occasionally, questions about my life regarding school come about. The changes my friends and I have experienced throughout our educational lives have always interested me. Looking back over the years, I have many happy memories, many regrets, and many hard learned lessons that I believe have taught me to be a more mature and lively person.

Time, it would seem, exists only in the present, as if the past were merely a long dream. I say this because even though I can remember years of past moments, they all seem to converge somehow into the current moment. I can remember my father giving lessons on bicycle riding, me falling off a few times, and always finding the strength to try again. The elementary years of early childhood bring about smiles as I reminisce on memories of a time when life was worry free. I always had a happy childhood, despite financial hardships. Back then, all I needed was my loving mother, guidance from my older sister, and best friends to spend hours doing something or nothing with.

As if I were gifted with infinite knowledge, I found elementary school easier then most children. Always finishing first in class, I often enjoyed assisting other students, whether or not I liked that particular student. I can remember being the teachers' favorite, but I can also remember being the teacher's worst nightmare because correcting the instructor was a hobby for me. However, even during the most entertaining times in class, every child counted down the minutes to recess break. My favorite memories of elementary are of the hours spent outside, playing with the boys, and receiving my first kiss from the first girl I had a crush on, behind an oak tree, hidden from sight.

One day I awoke only to realize that school itself was changing. The first noticeable change was not staying in one class with the same people. Junior High School brought about a new understanding of how to meet and make friends. With six different classrooms, six different teachers, and more students then I can remember, school was becoming a playground for the mind. While many other students were having difficulty keeping pace with the amount of work being handed out, I still finished early, which left plenty of time for myself to engage in conversation with who ever was willing to listen. After only a few months of Junior High School, I felt myself maturing more rapidly then everyone around me.

I found myself cleaning up after other students in classrooms. Cleaning up small things such as paper basketballs that had missed their target goal and broken pencil pieces became something I did out of boredom. I had more respect for instructors, listening while they spoke and refusing to enter a sideline conversation with another student. I was always quick to notice when a teacher was not in the mood for laughs, and discovered that I often paid more attention in class whenever a teacher was in a serious mood.

Three years in Junior High School came and went almost as fast as the last one year spent in elementary. Life was flying by and I barely took it seriously. I maintained high grades, but I failed to realize that school was a progressive learning thing, and thus I never gave my full effort to any assignment. A major regret of mine was never taking the time to really try to learn. I knew I was intelligent, and I took it for granted.

High School helped me understand that giving your best effort made the difference between a high grade and an average grade. No longer could I slack on assignments, as much more was being expected of me. Teachers did not play ignorant, they knew who was capable of doing good work, and who was capable of doing excellent work. They expected more of the brighter students, and degraded them for not trying their absolute best.

I spent my entire first year of high school in and out of a relationship and in turn, I couldn?t even see that my grades were slipping, and my parents' disappointment was growing. I was losing sleep, eating less, and when it came time for homework, all I wanted to do was lay around. I had lost my motivation for education. I no longer cared about being the number one student. I no longer had the respect for teachers. I had completely changed. That, I deeply regret.

I couldn't imagine how difficult my Junior year in high school would have been if I hadn't learned much during my Sophomore year. Reality struck me hard once I figured out the truth. My goal now was to forget the troublesome love life past, and focus hard on my future life. I knew I needed an education to succeed in life, and no longer was I going to let public pressures slow me down. I made up my mind, packed my belongings, and switched to a private school, in the middle of my Junior Year, where I would receive one on one instruction from a designated teacher. Attending Chrysalis High School was one of my greatest decisions and I have never looked back.

After I graduate Chrysalis High School with my honors diploma and my head held high, I plan to attend a four-year university, study hard, graduate, and attend additional years of schooling to obtain a master's degree or even a PHD. I am unsure of which career I plan on pursuing. I do know, however, that my interests focus on mathematical and scientific fields. I can not assume that life will be successful for me or even that I will achieve a level beyond that of an average student, but I can work hard and guarantee that what ever future lies ahead for me will be one which I can be proud of and which truly makes me happy.