I created Living ROI as a passion, to share my experiences and support others who want to live more authentic, joyful and fulfilling lives.
At the end of 8th grade, my teacher, Mrs. Trujillo, wrote on my Pupil Development Report, “Recommended: summer school in English.”
In the ensuing 40 years, I have never forgotten that note on my report card. It caused years of angst and ultimately had a hand in shaping me. Last year, during my personal history project, I came across the actual document.
According to one child development website: “Fourteen can be a pivotal age. While some 14-year-olds start heading down the path toward becoming a healthy responsible adult, others begin to rebel and get mixed up with the wrong crowd. It’s an important time to ensure you’re giving your child plenty of guidance and helping your child gain the skills he needs for a successful future.” I was the “wrong crowd.”
I never asked my parents why they didn’t make me go to summer school that year. Maybe they tried. What I do know is that it had a profoundly negative effect on my academic self-esteem in high school.
In college, I committed to overcoming this “defect,” and dove into Business English (aka “dumbbell English”) with abandon. Several writing and journalism classes followed, and I fell in love with the art of writing.
What did this experience teach me?
- To make sure my own kids had the education they needed to feel confident in school and life.
- To pay attention to what I say to others, knowing the profound power and impact words can have.
- To know, without a doubt, that one can do anything they set their mind to, despite what others say or think about them.
- Everything happens for a reason. Our challenges are our best teachers.
Is there something limiting you have believed about yourself that you have overcome, or that you still have the opportunity to overcome?
