As I start to get older, I start to realize that maybe middle school wasn’t so bad. I made lasting memories, tons of friends, and achieved all of my “long term” goals. If I were to tell the younger version of myself all that I’ve accomplished, she would’ve been so proud as well as shocked. Middle school will cause you to go through a mix of emotions, but sometimes I just wish I could relive those years, and make the best out of it. But I know that if that were to happen, I would be a completely different person now…
To my 6th grade self, please cherish every moment throughout this year. You may not know it now but this is gonna be one of the best years of your life. You had the best summer before the 6th grade school year started.You got to visit your cousin’s house frequently, and spent the whole summer either outside, at an arcade, beach, etc. But just know that this school year was better than that. Unfortunately we haven’t talked to the majority of the people that we met that year, but at least we still have the same friend group. Even after all the minor arguments, and the months we went without talking to some people, we always found a way to reconnect. Besides all of that, don’t take things to heart. Yes, I know that we are very sensitive, but try not to show it so much. Just because someone hurts your feelings once doesn’t mean you have to think about it everyday and try to change yourself or your personality.
Sometimes I wish that I could go back and tell my 7th grade self, “Everything is going to get better” or “You may feel that everything is just gonna get worse, but trust it will all make sense later.” Yes I know that 7th grade was definitely the worst year ever for you, but maybe it wasn’t so bad. I know that Math was somewhat hard but don’t blame yourself so much, just know that it wasn’t fully the math teachers fault. We didn’t focus enough and instead spent the majority of our time chatting. Meanwhile the time that we spent chatting could have been used to ask questions and to pay attention. Yes I know that you felt like you were being judged when you needed extra help, but you should’ve reached out for help anyway. It would’ve helped you a lot during the remainder of the school year. I get that you were “embarrassed” and scared but you have to speak up for yourself. To make things better, if you take time to reflect on this grade, you can see that you excelled in ELA, you passed every test and got extra credit on everything. Just so you know, this is the year where you grew a closer bond with all of your friends, and even lost one.
8th grade was definitely one of the best grades ever. Yes, the first week you were a bit lonely because the only person you talked to wasn’t there, but little do you know you actually created a friendship with almost everyone in your class. You grew close to people you would never even imagine talking to. But I do wish I could do some things differently. For example, the 4 months that our math teacher wasn’t there. Yeah it was fun, but you should’ve paid more attention to what the substitute was teaching you. But maybe this happened for a reason. This was the time that you grew connections with your classmates, and had the most fun.
Just know out of every grade year, the end of 8th grade was definitely the best. Every outfit that we had was so cute and classy. You also completed an extremely long term goal of yours, becoming salutatorian! I was so shocked, I believed that since I didn’t do so well on some tests and assignments I had no chance. Just know that you should cherish the whole month of May and June.
Middle school can make or break you, and I think that it made us grow up as a pretty kind and encouraging person. We went through things like failing tests, passing tests, and missing assignments. But that didn’t stop us from reaching our full potential. So to sum everything up, yes middle school had its ups and downs, but just know that it will be the best years of your life.
Akira Woods – De La Salle Institute – DMSF Class of 2029
Photo Credit: Akira Woods