THE HARDEST BUT GREATEST YEAR OF MY LIFE

It is well known that being a teenager is difficult, and being a teenager in high school is even more challenging. But when people start high school, they’re usually so excited. They can’t wait to experience everything that comes with being in high school, I mean who wouldn't? Everyone says that high school is the best four years of your life. Now that I’m a year away from graduating, I can say that my third year in Cavite National Science High School is the best and my most educational year so far. When I say educational, I mean I've learned so much about life especially in our English class. I didn't only learn about grammar and vocabulary but I also learned what the words family, love, friendship, and life meant. 

I can honestly say that I never liked the English subject before because I didn't have good writing skills. I prefer to have oral rather than writing activities but after this year, I realized that it is actually the best subject. This is because all the activities that we did this year were very unique and unexpected. Yes, some of the activities were hard but they were all worth it because we always learn something from the things we do.

Some of the most memorable activities I experienced were the blogs, word game, jazz chant, and of course, the conventional speech choir. I only used blogs once during our first year in CNSHS but I wasn't able to use it that much. When I heard that our informal theme will be in the form of a blog, I felt very excited because it means that I will be able to broaden my knowledge about it and it was actually very entertaining. The word game on the other hand, was both stressful and fun. I was able to familiarize myself with words and I even used deep words that I didn't understand (I wasn't even sure if they were actually words). The jazz chant was one of the best! Who knew that repeating words, such as ruler, eraser, chair, can result to an amazing performance? But the one that I will never forget is the conventional speech choir. It was the hardest out of all the activities that we did because none of had any idea about it. There were so many issues involved and to make it even more stressful, we had to make our performance good so that we have a chance to get 25 points from our exam. We were all so motivated at first but then, some people started to not take it seriously while some took it so seriously that too many ideas clashed. It caused a lot of problems and we almost gave up but those events were actually the things we needed to push through this wall and achieve something even better. It was friendship and understanding.

There were many times that our personalities clashed but it made our bond stronger. We were able to prove that we can bring out our fullest potential in order to create an excellent result. We were also able to show that we can achieve anything if we all worked together. Yes it was hard but it was all worth it in the end. 

The best part of this class was the values that we learned from our teacher. For the first time in my life, I was able to meet a teacher that can understand my thoughts and my feelings. She can read us by just observing even the smallest actions that we do. And because of that, she was able to help me with my problems and she was able to help me show everyone what I can do and that I can achieve anything if I put my mind into it. 

One of the things I liked the most was the letters. THANK YOU... I’M SORRY... I LOVE YOU... Using only these words, we were able to convey our feelings to the people who are special to us and we were able to say the things that we weren't able to say before. I also liked reading the selections in our book. I especially love it when our teacher relates her own experiences to the lesson and when she asks us very hard questions. Who is your hero? What is forgiveness? What is love? What are your regrets? What makes you special? Who would you give up? These are just simple questions but the answers to each of them can’t be found in a book or in the internet. It can only be found inside your heart.

After this year, I realized that the English subject is more than just grammar and vocabulary. It is also about knowing who you really are. I am very happy that I was able to experience this class because it helped me with a lot of things. I improved myself in my studies, I discovered the talents that I have within me and I understood the meaning of love and friendship. No matter how small they are, these lessons and experiences are the things I will use as I face the obstacles of this journey we call life.