ADOLESCENT

In my adolescent years, the media influenced my life, especially through music. I can
remember changing my hairstyle and wardrobe to match my favorite singers. There was a time
when my ego-centrism was damaging my life and those around me. In Junior High, when I was
in seventh and eighth Grade I disrespected my parents, ditched classes, swore, had bad friends,
and I ignored my teachers. It was my life and I did what I wanted. However, it all changed when
two events took place in my life.

The first event took place in mid-eighth grade. I discovered the underlying factor of why I
behaved carelessly. It was because of my ethnicity. Native Americans never made it to
graduation, as drinking and poverty was the way of life. I thought that was my future. The Native
American students at my school were all troublemakers and so was I. My older brother didnt
graduate and he started to drink, and it felt like my fate was inevitable.

Although my brother had set a bad example for me, it was my wake-up call. His poor decisions
broke my mothers heart, and seeing my mom sad helped me to recognize that my actions do
affect other people. I remember I felt so much anxiety placed upon me when I came to this
realization, and I wanted to reverse my thoughts but that would be naive. This realization led me
to rethink my choices. I felt like graduation was impossible, but I knew I had to try. I made three
simple rules to follow: No more ditching class, I would do the homework, and I would make
new friends. Ditching class was like overcoming an addiction, and for several nights I cried in
frustration over my homework.

Fortunately, finding new friends was the result of a miracle. It took ten seconds of
courage. I went up to a group of girls that were honor students and asked if I could have lunch
with them. They said yes and we hit it off throughout high school we remained good friends.
Kathleen Berger explains, Teenagers select friends whose value and interest they share. She
goes on to say, Happy, energetic, and successful teens have close friends who themselves are
high achievers, with no major problems. (Berger 2016, p.363) I agree with this statement,
because of my friends positive influences I stayed out of trouble.

Another reason I behaved badly was because I was not smart. In Junior High, it was a
known fact if you were in a reading class it meant that you were dumb. This shamed me greatly.
Kathleen Berger said, Another way middle school students avoid failure is to quit trying. Then
they can blame a low grade on their choice (I didnt study) rather than on their ability. (Berger
2016, p 343) or called entity theory of intelligence. When I read that passage, it resonated with
me because that was my excuse. I remember thinking if I am not smart then why should I even
bother. Later, I learned incremental theory of intelligence, meaning intelligence can be
increased by effort, with attention and practice, as in class participation and homework. (Berger
2016, p. 343) Smart does not just happen, it requires effort.

The second event motivated me to keep going. It was through an achievement I received.
At the end of the school year, science teachers selected two students from each class period to go
to Lagoon. Normally teachers would select the intelligent students. However, my science teacher
chose me! I was in complete shock! Surely there were far better/smarter students than me. She
told me she selected me because she saw a switch in me and she was proud of the progress I
made. I cannot tell you the joy I felt from that experience. I was recognized by my teacher and
she was proud of me. I never thought that would happen, but it helped me to believe in myself.
There were many factors that contributed to my egocentrism but my ethnicity was the main
reason. Kathleen Berger says, Early signs of a future high-school dropout are visible in middle
school, but most prevention measure are absent. (Berger 2016, p. 342) Fortunately, I had two
pivotal moments in my life that helped me to recognize and overcome my stubborn ways. Most
importantly it helped me to graduate.

Reference:

Berger, K. S. (2016). Invitation to the life span (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.