Lately, I've began reading my old journal entries, as I reflect on my years of childhood. I've pulled this one out because it is a reflection I did in Grade 8.
Note: grammatical errors are left "as is" to retain its original content. Otherwise, it will be denoted in brackets.
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8-2
Ms. Mongillo's homeform class
September 7, 2005
Dear me,
I am finally in Grade 8! I've anticipated this year ever since the first day I was at Claude Watson. It seems lke I had just started, but I still can't digest the fact that I'm already in Grade 8. This (fact) just struck me when teachers kept saying Grade 8 (over and over again). It's unfortunate that my days at Claude Watson will soon come to an end, as our last year at this school draws shorter and shorter as I write. And so life in elementary school ends.
So much has happened and had evolved at Claude Watson. When I was in grade 4, we were the toddlers of the school. I remember the first moment that I had (when I) followed the rest of my class into the gym, and that moment was unforgettable. It was the beginning of half a decade at CWSA. My skills have greatly improved as the years went on. When I first came to Claude, I was embarassed because Ms. Szot had invited me to go to String Orchestra. I accepted the invitation and went to the first rehearsal. However, I was only in grade 1 violin and when I first took a look at the piece, Die Meistersinger, I secretly snuck back into class because I had no idea how to shift or do fancy techniques on the violin like in the piece. Over the years, I've improved dramatically and I couldn't have done it without Claude Watson! I've learned a lot more than I would've had if I remained at a regular school. This school has helped me develop throughout the last five years.
"The future is bright if we do not forget the past" is a very famous quote, and I will never forget what I've learned and explored at Claude. All my classes --whether it's in the arts or academics -- has shaped me and helped build for a strong future. At the present, I've got a lot of things that I'm looking forward to, like Monocliffs, and Gosfield! I truly hope that someone would cancel their Monocliffs trip so that we would get out of the waiting list, allowing us to go on the trip most Claudies had waited for since grade 4! After all these years of waiting, it doesn't seem fair that we cannot go on a trip that every other eight grader had went on, but I will accept it. We never went to annual trips like the textile museum in grade 4 or the McMichael Gallery in grade 8. We missed Gosfield last year, and maybe Monocliffs this year. (Unfortunately), the new school will not benefit us because the construction had been delayed since grade 4! But I'm hoping this year will be an unforgettable year.
Another thing that I am anticipating this year is playday!If the weather's cooler this summer, we might get to be captain and lead our squad to victory, or at least try to win!
With time passing by at the speed of life,'ve gradually developed a zeal for learning. I remember when Ms. Fleming first started to teach us in grade 4, I had a very restricted limit of what I enjoy learning, but with the teachers' support and my personal interests sparking up, I have learned a lot more and explored deeper into my hobbies, like researching, doing cartographical work, and learning more geography and mineralogy. Now that I'm in grade 8, I will have to set new goals and challenges.
My biggest goal this year is to dig into the world of environmental studies and maintain an 86% average for the school year. Personally, I would say that my biggest challenge is to grow taller, because most people are taller than me, and in sunday school, most people are taller than me by a head!My last wish for the year is to get myself more active in school activities and have an excellent grad!
Your friend,
Myself
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