Introductions: Sam: Good morning Declan and viewers. Today we will be discussing and comparing the ‘true blue’ Aussie novel; The Story of Tom Brennan by J.C. Burke and the classic low-budget Australian film 48 Shades by Daniel Lapaine. Declan: That’s right, we will be comparing and contrasting the narrative and characterisation components of these portrayals of growing up in Australia and on that note, what was your experience of growing up in Australia Sam?
With the small size of my high school, it was not a surprise that not much was accomplished in the past. There were many obstacles that needed to be overcome, but with every ounce of motivation and
High school was a roller coaster ride for me, from the endless fun of parties to the minor breakdowns and panic attacks that would land myself in the hospital. The pressure and stress got to me and the fact that failing out of the school that I’ve been going to for twelve years with long life friends was coming to an end. Now that I look back at it though it might have been the best decision for my well-being because then I would of not been able to meet the people that I met at Chamblee Charter High School. You would think moving from a private to a public school would be a big cultural shock, you are very correct. Atlanta International School, which was the school I went for basically my whole life, was a very open minded, well rounded, and accepting establishment since the most of the students where from all over the world.
Junior year was a bit challenging for me. It was not challenging because of the work, but I joined a career program. I had to keep up with both of my schools. For me to be successful with so many things going on, I had to stay organized and think ahead. My success was that I kept all my grades above a C+.
I was so excited to begin high school and attend the same school my father and uncles had attended. But, the beginning of my high school career was very difficult and challenging for me. In the beginning of my freshman year, I had a very hard time finding a group of friends that I could trust. The idea of popularity drowned me when I entered high school and I began to loose myself. I had a hard time focusing on my studies and this caused my grades to plummet.
I 'm not a native of Pennsylvania. Anyone can tell that from my intense love of snow and fall, two things you couldn 't find in a South Florida city like where I lived, where temperatures were always high and foliage stayed the same year round. If you were born in Pennsylvania, you grew up hearing people tell stories of hitting a deer at night meanwhile I grew up hearing stories of people finding alligators in their backyard. Most people know what it 's like to move to a new place, whether it 's a new town, state or country, however, I feel my dramatic move along with the circumstances surrounding it are unique. It taught me that you can make the best out of even the worst situations.
The transition from middle school to high school is what shaped me the most and this adjustment has changed me in both good and bad ways. As a freshman, I enrolled in a private school, called Bridgemont High School. It was a very small school and did not have the same help as the public schools offered. I didn 't have an ELD class and classes providing extra help were limited. Eld means einglish language development, these classes are classes to help develop your english speaking skills even though i can speak english i had poor grammar.
Transitioning high schools my freshman year was a major eye opener. It does not seem like a big deal, for almost everyone has transitioned to a different school, however, I transitioned from going to class everyday and always being told what do, to doing my course work online and creating my own school schedule. I used to go to a public school called Houston High School, located right next to my house in Germantown, Tennessee. I would go to school everyday, and then do my favorite activity after school, which was riding horses. I have a tremendous passion for riding and competing horses, and it is what led me to transitioning to my online high school, the University of Miami Global Academy.
It went from high school getting everything done for you to college where you are basically all on your own. It was a big fear for me because I didn’t know what classes to take or which classes would be good for my career which is business. I remember going towards the admission office thinking to myself what am I even going to say or what do I even need to do to start the whole process of class selection. I felt my heart raising, felt empty in the inside and even scared because I really didn’t know what to say to the people in the office. Once entering the office I got nervous and asked for the steps to register for classes then that’s when they sent me to the pathway center.
High school prepared me by being able to attend dual enrollment, which was one of the great thing my school had to offer to help advanced student academically. It helped me tremendously being able to associate myself with college level students and see things from their point of view. I also took an online class that was blackboard. I’m grateful for all the help and preparation I had before I
Growing up I was the only student of Indian descent in my grade level until the 8th grade. It was due to this I was viciously bullied and assaulted growing up. The bullying negatively mentally and emotionally affected me and it was due to this bullying I had fallen into a bad group of "friends" during my sophomore year. These "friends" kept the bullies at bay and I started to accept them. One day they had convinced and pressured me to shoplift, or face being hurt, two packs of cards, which I unwisely did because I did not want to return to being bullied and feared being hurt.
High school has impacted my life in so many ways. High School taught me so many things, from personal relationships to creating a relationship with my education. As a freshman, I made a huge amount of mistakes and I regret doing foolish things, but I’ve realized, I was only maturing into the young adult I am today. Freshman year, I was out of focus and I was only trying to find myself. I would also prioritize other things and ignore my parent’s advice, where they would tell me to focus in school and give it my full attention.
“Another source of greatness is difficulty. When any work seems to have required immense force and labour to effect it, the idea is grand” -Edmund Burke Obstacles are challenges that make a better version of ourselves, doors that we need to open to achieve greatness and success. These obstacles can range from your school work to the death of a loved one. Everyone faces obstacles and challenges, some overcome them and some get overcome by the obstacles.
As high school went on, the workload grew, but I also grew, so I was perfectly capable of keeping up with the work. This type of growth came rather easy to me. It was important for me to have one thing I could be confident with through all of the drama and chaos in my life. Growing in my community was not challenging thanks to the Live Algoma movement. Our community itself has experienced so much growth over the past four years, which allowed many students, including me, to grow in their community involvement as well.
My high school experience was a long, frustrating learning experience. I didn’t know what to expect, or what I was getting myself into. Nobody gave me the tools to understand the main focus of each year. I am going to give you tips and advice on how to succeed in high school. I will discuss 9-12th grade along with what to expect each year.