Jen Philbrick

March 30, 1998

English II

Narrative Essay

Until seventh grade I had never done poorly on a test. I had never gotten below an 85%, and even that was rare. I didn't think that I could ever do so poorly, but in Mr. Herman's math class that image was shattered. I wasn't trying very hard; I kept thinking, if I hadn't needed to study before, why bother now?

I approached the test without thinking. I might have looked it over at the last minute if I even studied at all. I knew that the teacher liked me, and I didn't think that I would do poorly. When the test was delivered to my desk I flipped it over and looked at the questions. What I saw fractions, decimal points, and odd looking figures; pre-algebra had never looked so foreign. Some of the questions I saw appeared unfamiliar and impossible. For a moment I panicked, but then I remembered; I couldn't fail, and I began to answer the questions. Some of them I knew, and others I tried to figure out. I didn't really know that much about fractions, but I looked at them for a while and wrote down an answer. I knew that I hadn't known some of the answers, but I wasn't worried.

When Mr. Herman was handing the tests back I wasn't worried either, but as soon as I saw the grade I got a huge lump in my throat. A D-! I felt like the sinking ship in the Titanic. I had never seen that letter next to my name before. I was shocked. At home, my parents gave me stern looks and we had several "discussions." In the end, I realized that maybe math required a bit more thought, and maybe even a bit of studying.

Since that time I have kept my grades up, but math is still one of my harder subjects. I am now taking Algebra II, and I am finding that I absolutely have to study, ask questions, and learn the new material. My first test was handed back a few days ago, on which I got an 83%. I did not do as well as I had hoped, but it helped me to realize that I am still just a student, and I still need to study. I understand that I am not infallible, and I am very capable of failing a test, or doing poorly at things.