When I arrived in August, I expected classes to be a lot tougher, teachers to be stricter, and students to be louder. In sixth grade, I feel like teachers were really nice and classes were really easy because, mainly, they wanted us to feel welcome at West Ridge. But I soon realized I was mistaken. All of my teachers are still really nice. Seventh grade classes were just as easy for a seventh grade mind as sixth grade classes are to a sixth grade mind. And the students? Come on, this is my grade! We’re probably the loudest no matter what grade we’re in! Can’t compare one year to another. 

By October, my life had changed in many ways. My schedule was tighter because of homework, school sports meets and practices, choir competitions and practices, and a lot of stuff going on at church. I made some new, fantastic friends, lots some old, not-as-great friends, and got tighter relationships with the friends I already had. And, thankfully, the drama decreased a lot!

Eventually, I figured out that seventh grade was going to keep changing throughout the year; I kept having different opinions. That didn’t happen in sixth grade! At first (being totally honest here), I was excited about blogs, then I was iffy, then I didn’t like them at all, and now here I am loving them! My mind also changed about science. I was not excited to be learning life science this year (just a few flips of the textbook pages and I thought that), but now I actually kind of enjoy it. I’m also friends with some people I never thought I’d be friends with, and those are the best friendships I have now!

In seventh grade, I’ve learned a lot of things. Many things. Too many things. I wouldn’t be able to list them all! However, I think I’ve narrowed it down to three major things (or, at least, major to me). To keep this organized, I shall explain in bullet points.

• I’m not that bad at math. Ya, ya, I know, that sounds stupid, but seriously! Math was my best subject in third, fourth, and fifth grade, but in sixth grade I wasn’t doing as well. That might have been because I went from fifth grade math to seventh grade math in a summer (grade level to advanced). Whatever the case, it was harder, but it was fine. This year, however, I got to math class and majority of the class was either in sixth grade (double advanced) or fifth grade (ok, there were only two, but still. Triple advanced math!). I was scared because I was thinking: “Ok, Kendall, you just got bumped up to advanced math last year. They are already knowing more math stuff than you since you’re one of the older kids in the class and you’re learning the same thing!” Turns out, I’m not half bad. I’m not necessarily great, but I’m ok. I’m getting an A, so I’m good.
• You’re not always doing as bad as you think you are. In fact, you might be doing fantastically. During the first semester, when I tried out for basketball, of course I was going to do my best and have a sliver of hope that I’d make the A-Team, but I was mainly just expecting B-Team. I tried hard in try-outs, putting in all of my effort…but I didn’t think they were that impressed with the job I was doing (it wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t good either). As it turns out, they were impressed and I made the A-Team! Another example is of my blog. I didn’t think it was anything special, even when Mrs. Schoch praised it. I thought it was just, well, a colorful blog. Did that really make it great? I didn’t think so. Apparently I was wrong and everyone else thought it was fantastic. I suddenly had comments from Mrs. Bridges, Mrs. Bacon, Mr. Ramsey, and even edublogs! In both examples, I didn’t think I was doing well at all, but as it turns out, I ended up doing fairly well.
• School is school. It’s never going to be fantastic, but it won’t be the absolute worst thing in the world either (no, fellow students that have actually read this entire thing, no it will not). If you try too hard to make it really good, things seem to backfire for me. If I try to hate it, nothing is going good, socially, not academically. If you just let it play out, everything will fall into place.

As the year comes to a close, I’m both really happy and really sad. Summer’s right around the corner, my transfer request was accepted, I get to keep my iPad over the summer, and I’m doing great in all my subjects. I even…drum-roll please…get to keep my blog over the summer (most likely!)! I’m also sad because summer is coming (no, no, no. Keep reading, I have a good reason) and that means that, as a transfer, I loose a lot of connects with school friends. I also have a lot of stuff going on in the summer, so it’s not always “relaxing” as my summers used to be. It’s fun stuff, but it’s still stuff.

If I had to do it over again, I would used my time better. I feel as though I was rushing to get homework done at the last minute. And a lot. See, I turn everything in on time, but I often do most of it the night before. It was mostly the packets: vocabulary, science review, and math review. If I could have, I would have done a page a day (if it was long term packet). Next year, I’m pretty sure I’ll try to do better than that. 

Lastly, my advice to next year’s seventh graders. First of all, go back and read the things I’ve learned. Remember those? Ok, the last two. “You’re not always doing as bad as you think you are” and “School is school?” Ya. Those are two of my pieces of advice. You probably aren’t doing as bad as you thought you were, and school will always just be school no matter how much you try to change is. Another piece of advice: don’t be stupid with homework given. If you get homework, do it first at home, not at 11:00 at night. If you have a packet, don’t be like me and save it to the last minute to do. If you have an independent project, don’t wait forever to do it and don’t do it badly the first time around think you’ll get help. If you have a group project, do your share of the work, not less.

Now I leave you with these two things: good luck to sixth graders and congratulations seventh graders (for surviving this year very well).