Most Embarrassing Moments in my Junior High School Journey

 I consider my junior high school journey one of the aspects that molded me into a better version of myself. It is where I learned to be independent and see the world from a different perspective. Most importantly, it is where I learned that it is not the mistakes that determine a person's character, but how we take those mistakes and turn them into lessons rather than excuses.

 Being in a special science class is not easy for an average student like me. There are certain moments when I doubt my capability, skills, and effort. The lackluster performance I had in school shows how incompetent I am, mainly because of the pressure and competition inside the classroom. Before the whole class started, my English teacher would start with a spelling test to evaluate a student's ability to spell words correctly. After three weeks of doing the spelling test and getting a lower score, I always wonder why my classmates have a higher score.

  One day, I caught one of my classmates having a list of words that would be given on the morning of the spelling test. She was shocked and begged me not to tell anyone about it until her best friend saw it too, and then it was spread throughout the whole class. Monday has come and the spelling test is going smoothly. My English teacher praised me for having a perfect score for the first time, and I felt guilty about it. Months have passed, and other sections now know our secret. A friend of mine from that section called my attention and advised me to stop cheating or else I would face the consequences of my actions. I ignored him and instead chose to do it continuously.

 My English teacher knows what we did when the third quarter was approaching. Of course, she was mad and disappointed. She looked at each one of us and asked who was behind the cheating issues. No one answered. She went out into the classroom, and when she was back, she brought my friend. My friend exposed it and pointed out to me that I was behind it, along with three of my classmates. She told us to meet her in the English faculty room.

 In the faculty room, my English teacher immediately looked me in the eyes. I could sense that her eyes were telling me something that gave shivers down my spine. I knew where that disappointment was coming from. She was one of those people who believed in me. She knew how passionate I was about learning, but she never thought that I would come to the point of cheating. She instructed us to write an apology for what we did and permitted us to have our snack since it was already recess time, the days went by, and a lot of changes happened. My English teacher put a wall between us. I cut ties with my friend. My ego was hurt. If those people who have high expectations of me know what I did, they will surely condemn me.

 I was embarrassed, not just for myself but for the people around me. I was embarrassed because, as the valedictorian of my elementary years, I was caught cheating. I became aloof from my surroundings. I was distraught and unsure of how to handle the situation. My mental health deteriorated. It was getting worse when the pandemic hit. As a coping mechanism, I started reading self-help books and writing journals. I learned the importance of learning and studying. Learning helps the individual acquire the necessary skills through learning and knowledge so that he can achieve his set goals. An important fact about learning is that it is a means to improve knowledge and gain skills that will help in achieving specific goals.