VENUGOPAL SAI LAHARI Class 4A1 ( 2013 )
‘ LEARNING ’ FROM THE JOURNEY OF LEARNING
Sailahari is a Secondary Four student who was promoted to the Express stream from the Normal Academic stream in Secondary Three .
When I graduated from Primary school , I thought the worst was over . Having been posted to the Normal Academic stream , I found my assignments to be much easier and I could easily pass my tests , and sometimes top some of my subjects . However , I was wrong that the worst was over . I realised later that there was another world out there to challenge me , and that was when I learned that it was possible for me to be promoted to the Express Stream .
I did not make it to the Express Stream after Secondary One even when I topped the class in my Science subjects . However , I kept telling myself to try harder . My goal was not to top the class , but to get a grade that I could be proud of and to achieve more with every effort I put in . At the end of Secondary Two , I finally made it to Secondary Three Express the following year .
I achieved my goal , but little did I know that sustaining my results would prove to be more challenging than achieving it . The Express Stream proved too fast for me at the outset . I suddenly plunged from being the top scorer to being at the bottom of my Secondary Three class . It was even more demoralizing when I realised that I was the slowest student to grasp certain concepts , especially when there were many chapters taught in the Express Stream that I missed in Secondary One and Two .
I found comfort confiding to the other students who were promoted from the Normal Academic stream to the Express stream , and I shared my struggles with them . They were encouraging , and most importantly , we formed a network that provided moral support to one another . I also had to keep reminding myself to be patient , and that success does not occur overnight .
Being demoralized has the power to make one lose hope and drive , and this was the most challenging period of my academic life . It really depended on what I told myself to pick myself up again . For me , it was , “ Don ’ t give up . You don ’ t know what you ’ ll get in the end if you stop trying .”
These words pulled me through the whole of my Secondary Three year . I will be taking my O-level examination this year , and I hope to witness the fruits of my labour . I will definitely be discouraged if I do not do as well as I expect , but I know that in the process of preparing for the examination , I have learnt how to be a stronger person with more tenacity , and this lesson is priceless .
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