Avid

AVID SUMMER INSTITUTE ESSAY
Many students in middle school think of High School as a place where teachers would not care about them or what they do, party, “freedom” etc. High School “can be that” when a student would make it that, but what really is, it’s a place where teachers prepare students for the big world and College. I didn’t really see that in High School my freshman and sophomore year. I saw it like the rest of the “party animal’’ students did in middle school. Instead of staying home and studying for exams, I would go out to clubs on school days, I would NEVER pay attention in class or Do my homework. I wanted to be like the rest of the “cool” kids. On my Sophomore year I calmed down a bit, I payed attention in school, didn’t really go out and “party” on school nights but I was unorginazed, my notes were awful and some didn’t even make sense! I never really saw my report card last year because my grades where that bad. I ended up going to summer school and making up ALL of my classes.
Its my Junior year in High School, so far its been the BEST but the MOST challenging. I have compared myself from this year to my freshman and sophomore years, I think I have matured and become more responsible and organized with school and personal life. I have seen my report card this year and my grades have IMPROVED compared to my last two years. I do not go out and party anymore, I stay home with my family and I study more often now and actually finish all of my school work. This year has been Very challenging for me because since I have slacked my two important years in high school and never paid attention, some of my classes are difficult for me to understand and complete the work.
I was sitting in my AP English III class, when this lady named Ms. Shield came into my class promoting her class named AVID. She explained to us that AVID is a college readiness system that is designed to increase schoolwide learning and performance. She explained to us that AVID can also help us apply for colleges and scholarships. Ms. Shield also explained to us about the big binders her AVID students carry around, which are labeled with all the classes the student has and how they carry a planner around to help them keep track with homework and projects. The thing that caught my attention the most is the Tutorial Request Forms. She told us that during TRF’s students would help each other out on subjects they were having a hard time understanding. AVID sounded like it would be a great experience for me.
Its my first year in AVID, so far I LOVE it. Ms. Shield our AVID coordinator helps us out so much. She keeps us on track on our grades and projects, she also Gives us GREAT advice when we feel like giving up on something. My AVID class feels like a family and Ms. Shields is like our Mother. The Guest Speakers we have are pretty fascinating, they tell us how they had a hard time getting to where they are now, and how it only takes time, effort and dedication to accomplish the goal each and one of us has. The huge heavy binder AVID makes us carry around is actually helpful because, it has helped me be more organized and responsible with my school work. Tutorial Request Forms can sometimes be boring but at the end it is all worth it because you have had helped( not the help where they give you the answers) but the help where you are being guided to finding the solution to the problem or the Point of Confusion. This year I have ACTUALLY seen my report card, my parents are also very supportive about me being in AVID. Thanks to AVID I have becomed more interested in Colleges and applying for scholarships and taking more tours around the Universities I would like to attend to.