Dear Past Me,
Time really flies; I can’t believe that I will be a freshman entering high school this year and meeting new people again, and starting a new chapter in my life! When I was 12 years old, I had to change schools. I didn’t want to change schools at all. I was so sad about leaving my friends because I’d made so many friends that I didn’t want to leave. But my mom wanted what was best and thought changing schools was the right decision. However, 12-year-old me thought this was a terrible plan and that I would hate the school so much. Now that I’ve graduated and I had time to think about it, I would say that my mom made the great choice of transferring me to a different school.
When it was my first day of school, I was going into the 7th grade. I was really nervous that I almost started to cry in my homeroom. I truly missed my friends, and I wanted to go back to my old school. But after a few days there, I was really liking it there and I made a couple of friends they were super nice and introduced me to a couple of their friends. I was really happy when I started to get comfortable at my new school. I’ve made a lot of friends, but I still missed my friends from my old school; 7th grade was still difficult for me. I had to catch up with everyone else in academics, especially in math.
Once I entered 8th grade, I realized that I liked the school except for some of the teachers. But me and my friends made it fun, and I really loved meeting new people. I got to go to different places because of the friends that I made at my school. I went to winter wonderfest last winter with my friends. Even my close friend is going to the same high school as I am. I’m really happy that I got to know her more during the school year, and we got close. I still talk to my friends from my old school, we are still really close, and we talk about what’s going on at school.
After I graduated 8th grade, I realized I missed so many of my friends and classmates. I learned so many things in school, a lot of life lessons, and things that are going to help me in the future. I appreciate everything my friends and family have given me. They have been so supportive throughout my 8th-grade year. I’m so thankful to my mom for making the right decision for me and knowing what the right things are for me.
So, on a final note for my 12-year-old Past self, don’t be mad, and don’t be sad. Keep an open mind to the new school. Know that mom transferred you for a good reason, and it wasn’t just because she wanted to, she has a reason, and she knew what was best at the time. My future self-goals are to embrace being yourself at school, don’t be somebody else, and people will like you for the REAL you. Things will get easier over time; just have patience, and things will get better when adjusting to a new school environment. Don’t let one thing bother you for the rest of the day. And remember, Mom has a lot of wisdom to share as I reach higher goals in life.
Morgan Culbreath – Whitney M. Young Magnet High School – DMSF Class of 2027