It was a dark and stormy night–just kidding, it was my first full month of school. I had just gotten a math test back, and I saw a very unfamiliar letter, “C.” I was a little traumatized but quickly realized that high school was going to be different. Every class presented new challenges that I personally had to face. My mom was concerned to, say the least, but my dad surprised me when he told me he was glad I got a “C.” Both of my parents encouraged me to learn from this and to go talk to my teacher. I went to my teacher, and she helped me get back on track.

At Gaston Day, you should expect to get a bad grade every once in awhile. The teachers want to push you, allowing you to discover your weaknesses and learn from them. However, if you fail and quickly recover, you will be more equipped to handle challenges. I am proud to say that my next grade was better than the last, and I now had a plan for this challenging class.

Sometimes it is easy to blame the teacher, the class, or lack of sleep. The challenge for students is to take responsibility and learn from your mistakes. Thinking back on this, I am glad I followed through working with my teacher rather than employing plan B which involved gifts of cookies and a student-led strike on math.