Transitioning between grades

Seventh grade was challenging because the workload and responsibilities significantly increased from the previous year. With guidance from our sixth-grade teachers, my classmates and I were able to navigate through seventh grade. Day by day, more school tasks were assigned, and I felt overwhelmed with many extracurriculars such as Science Bowl.

I developed time management strategies and used tools like 'Lucidchart' to help me plan my assignments and stay organized. This strategy helped me balance out small assignments, namely, daily homework, with my extracurriculars. My plan was disturbed when our English teacher assigned my class a book report project because they are very time-consuming. I did not throw in the towel even with little to no time after school. I temporarily stopped attending chess competitions and VEX Robotics group meetings to prioritize my book report. As I read a set amount of pages for my book report daily, I used sticky notes and highlighters to annotate my book. My peers and I revised and edited each other's work in small group chats. I looked over the grading rubric, checking line by line if my paper met the criteria. I finally submitted my paper.

Before bed, I nervously opened my Google Classroom account. My terrific grade kept me from falling asleep that night, but I learned that the power of planning is unmatchable. This experience helped me improve my time management skills and realize that there is no substitute for hard work. The ability to adapt to different settings and swiftly construct solutions to any task is essential during group work.