Focus by Emily

Focus by Emily - December 2024 Scholarship Essay

In my adolescent years, I struggled with learning. Reading and math were my main struggles. I was a slow reader who struggled with reading simple words. I never fully understood any math subject you learn from 3rd to 5th grade. As a kid, I was very distracted, overly emotional, and shy. Being a distracted, excessively emotional, and shy kid I was not the best student. Parent-teacher conferences were a nightmare not just for me but for parents as well. Teachers would point out all of the subjects I was lacking and tell my parents I wasn’t reaching grade requirements. After those conferences, I would get scolded along with a lecture about the importance of education and focus. One parent conference would change all that. 

I remember half of that day vividly. I was in 5th grade waiting for my mom to pick me up. I was in an after-school program and was so anxious and scared for the conference. My mom picked me up with a cheery mood which made me feel a little less nervous about the meeting. The teacher welcomed us as we sat down. As the teacher sat down her expression looked nervous and unsure. She told my mom I was still struggling and not meeting grade requirements. Then she says something neither Mom nor I would expect. She told my mom that I was going to be moved to a class where they would give me extra help and keep a close eye on me after she said that there was a long pause. I didn’t know what to say. I looked at my mom who was equally speechless. Just moments ago she was happy but now she looks so disappointed. Out of nowhere, my mom spoke up. She told the teacher to give me a chance to improve. By some miracle, the teacher decided to give me a chance. On our way home my mom didn’t say anything. When we got home my dad wasn’t happy at all. My parents told me the same lecture about education and focused on how this situation could lead to me being held back. Then they said that things would get a lot easier for me if I just focused on the right things in life. 

I felt ashamed of myself for a while but I didn’t want to feel like that all the time. I started focusing in class along with learning how to control my emotions. I was still really shy so when the teacher offered tutoring after school I took it. There I would ask for more clarification on assignments and the lessons we learned. At home I would read and find books that matched my reading level; books that I found interesting. Eventually, over the school year, I became less shy. At the next parent conference, I was nervous. I didn’t know if I improved or not. To my surprise, the conference went well. The teacher had said improved a ton and was no longer considering putting in an extra help class. I learned that things become so much easier once you focus and put lots of effort into your goals.