High School Days

When I think about my high school experience, a few words come to mind,fun, crazy, troublesome, exciting, and mostly a learning experience. I attended two high schools. The first one was in a neighborhood that I grew up in my whole life. I attended that high school my freshmen and senior year. El Camino High school was actually a nice place to be. It was pretty diverse, the teachers were interested in teaching, and there was a lot of school spirit. Unfortunately my main goal when I was in school was to party, party, hang out, and party some more. El Camino was one of two high schools in my district. Most of the students had known each other all the way from elementary school and from around the neighborhood. I enjoyed going to school because I felt my teachers were actually interested in teaching, and they took time to get to know the students, the way they learn, and how they can enhance their learning experience. I was unmotivated to learn, and only cared about socializing and going out, me and my friends were considered to be the popular kids, whatever that means. Due to my out of control behavior, I was kicked out of El Camino my sophomore year I was also informed I couldn't attend the only other high school within the South San Francisco school district due to all of my behavioral issues Unfortunately for me being kicked out of the district meant I would have to attend school where I didn't know anyone. My cousin lived in Daly city, a town over, and attended Jefferson High. My mother decided going to Jefferson would be the best alternative for me, too bad she didn't do her research. Jefferson was terrible in comparison to El Camino, and I hated going there.. The campus was low in school spirit; we didn't even have a cheer leading team. There were a lot of students with bad attitudes. The teachers seemed to hate their jobs, and no one seemed to care what the students did. Needless to say I got away with murder at this school, which only furthered my unhealthy lifestyle. It didn't take long for me to find a crowd of people to spend my time with. Of course all of my friends were fellow druggies. My own drug use was quickly turning into a problem rather than something to do for fun.I cut school almost every day, and when I did show up I was under the influence or coming down. Telling lies to everyone around me except for my friends became second nature for me. Jefferson's lack of enforcing consequences only made it easier for me to get away with unexcused absences, missed detentions, and everything else in between. Somehow in the midst of all this, I started to get serious towards the end of my senior year. I was still using, but I started taking a bunch of extra classes in an attempt to make up about 120 lost credits. I attended class more regularly, but still wasn't there nearly enough as I should have been. I managed to pull off a couple of c's and an A, but since I failed my government class, and was low on credits for electives, I didn't graduate on stage. I received my diploma in summer school. Looking back, I can't blame Jefferson, or El Camino for the way I decided to act in high school. I was a rebel, and I didn't take any of the opportunities that were given to me. With that said, I wouldn't change my experiences because they are what shape me today.

MY SPEECH IS MY LANGUAGE/NOT MY IDENTITY

Growing up, I remember being teased quite often for the way that I spoke. I found myself in situations where I had to defend the way that I chose to speak, or rather had been taught to speak. For a long time I thought there was something wrong with me. Although I didn't quite understand what it meant when someone told me I sound like a "white girl" when I talked, I felt as though It was an insult because of the manner it was said. As I got older I realized that no matter what I did or what I said, I would never let the way I spoke my words define me as a person. I realized that I was being teased for not meeting a stereotype society had ingrained in our minds. That black people are uneducated and use slang, and white people are educated and speak proper English. I think that is a degrading statement and it’s sad that so many people have views of that nature. I decided that I will get ahead in life because I sound intelligent when I speak. My speech was ingrained in me, and even when I would try to sound more "black" I felt stupid. I really don't like using the terms black and white to define the way people talk. I do believe it is an ignorant statement and no group of people should be stereotyped in that manner. I met plenty of white people that did not speak the way I spoke, or even the way the black kids I knew spoke. I’ve learned to accept the fact that the way I speak is a product of my environment, whether it be proper English, well spoken, or any other term; my language was specific to my upbringing. I didn't really get influenced by the way my friend's spoke, of course I use slang and I do not use proper English all the time, or even half the time. The most important thing to remember is my speech is my language not my identity.