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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