When I first arrived at school in August, I expected seventh grade to be a nightmare. And soon realized it was everything expected it to be. The teachers were scary, the homework was overwhelming, and my grades were dropping. How will I get through this one? I thought to myself.

By October, my life was in pieces! The teachers would spit out seven paragraphs in a second and expect me done with the notes before I could even process everything they had just said. They would make us do things that I couldn’t understand, and then build off of that. But worst of all there were absurd do dates for stunningly big projects and so much homework on no homework nights that was do in two days, that it would be suicide not to do half on each day.

However, Eventually I figured out that it wasn’t as bad as I had thought and that I could learn new ways to make school way easier. To have less homework I learned to do as much as I could in class and the rest in Wildcat time. And if there was still more, I had time on the bus and at home. To help me with my grades I learned to study every night and that the way to finish big projects on time was to not procrastinate. But the three main things were to be responsible, organized, but mainly to not procrastinate.

If I had to do it over again I would study every night and to not procrastinate. Which is my exact advise to next years seventh graders.

I wake to a calm pleasant morning with a feeling that I forgot something. I tell myself it’s nothing and start to shut my eyes. And then I remember! It’s Christmas! Scrambling out of bed I begin to bolt out the halls and yell as I pass the bedroom doors, IT’S CHRISTMAS!!!

When I get down stairs, I become overwhelmed with happiness! When I look at the ground, I see presents beautifully wrapped presents with fancy red bows. When I look at the mantle, I see hanging stockings that are stuffed with so many toys and candy that I think they’ll burst at any moment. When I look at the hearth, I see an empty milk cup next to an empty cookie plate with a note attached to it. And when I look at the tree I see how pretty all the ornaments and lights look. And then I know that it’s a good Christmas.

My favorite poem is called Where the Sidewalk Ends by: Shel Silverstein. I like this poem because it shows great imagery and hooks you in to make you want to read it.

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.