The moment is finally here. You sit at your desk waiting for the teacher to call out your name and hand back the test that will determine your grade. 

Your name is finally called and you saunter up to the front expecting a bright red 95 on the front. Instead you feel a lump in your throat as you gaze at the enormous 50 splashed across the paper in taunting red letters. As you glance around the room you study the expressions on the faces of your peers, hoping that you are not the only one who has met the same fate.

This experience is commonplace for many CHS9 students but often is not talked about, leaving one feeling completely alone and something akin to a failure, especially when for most of their lives we have received high grades. 

The following months are spent doubting yourself and working with fervor as you attempt to right your so-called wrongs. If only you knew how many others were experiencing this.

Though it may not seem like it, everyone goes through this and it is nothing to feel shame about. The jump from middle school to high school is not easy especially when being inundated with a heavy course load and homework that never seems to end. I still remember the first test I ever got back when I was a freshman. I was expecting at least an 80 and ended up with a 64 – the experience was a hard pill to swallow.

While this experience is jarring, it does not bind you to a life of F’s. The biggest tips I can provide to you, dear reader, are to talk about this with your friends so that you do not feel like you are going through it alone and to study more. That last one may sound a little simple but believe me, it is not an easy task.

Being a high school student requires you to become very familiar with yourself. You need to find out what works for you. For some, it is taking paper notes and for others it is being able to explain what you are learning. Whatever your process is, try a little bit of everything and see what works for you so that you are set up for success. As time goes on you will adjust to the pacing of the classes and by the time you graduate you will have become a master. I promise.

Most importantly, remember that nothing makes you a failure. Your grades do not define you, even though it may feel like it. Each test grade does not make or break your future. That red 50 does not determine your college acceptance, after all, it is only ink.

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