Narrative Essay

“Advanced Placement”

In elementary school I was kicked out of kindergarten for having too much energy and being way too enthusiastic about being around other kids my age. Another school year went by and I went back to school but this time back on Ritalin. My grades had skyrocketed from the previous so much that all my grades across the board were high enough it made me the smartest kid in the class. My grades were consistent enough over the years that I impressed everyone so much when in 3rd grade my teacher asked my mother for me to take the advanced placement tests to see where I actually was grade level wise since I my scores were one of the highest in my grade level. I never had a GPA lower than 3.9. I was smart, and I knew it, until I got the results of the advanced placement test,

I had never been so excited after years of doing my best and studying I was excited because I was going to catch up and probably skip a grade to be with my friends from a grade up. The test seemed pretty easy; it just gauged on what you already knew and based on your score it sees what grade level you are. I was confident in my abilities that I was sure I passed every part.

The test had covered everything from math, science, English, and reading skills. I was so sure I had passed every part with a high enough to score to pass to skip a grade or two that is until, I got the results back a few weeks later in the mail. I will always remember that day, because my mother and I had to go up to the school to hear the results. I had passed every test with a perfect score except for English. My score for English was 94 out of 100; in order to pass and move to another grade it needed to be a 95 or higher. I didn’t show much emotion really, but I told my mom in a sad voice that I was disappointed in not making it. We left the school, and to go get some ice cream. I cried a little later as we were driving off leaving the school. I was actually more devastated by it then I had lead on and didn’t let my mom know it. Up to that point in my life anything I went after or did such as making the football team to baseball I had always achieved or made the team, I always did my best and it paid off. I didn’t know disappoint very well or how to deal with it. Immediately after that my grades had started to slip gradually over the years, I started getting picked on at school when I got to middle school. From 7th grade and onward I only did enough to barely pass my classes, but my scores still remained high enough at those end of the year tests we always take. By the time I graduated high school, I was a shell of my former over academic achieving self. I passed high school with a 1.7 GPA and my student ranking was only 5 spots from being at the bottom out of 177 graduates back in 2008. It has still followed me into adulthood to a certain extent.

Until that time, I loved English just as much as any other subject. It was one of my favorite subjects, I always did a good job at it, and I enjoyed it. I thought to myself how could I make two mistakes, and passed everything else with perfection. Dad was not really involved at that point in my life very much and my mom was always busy to really talk too much. I never had got that talk about get up on the horse and try again, if I had ever needed to hear a speech or get those words of wisdom in my life was at that point in time. I never again played a sport, became depressed, and hated