Meeting Challenges I was surprised by how well I was able to adjust to the class size here. I came from a public school, where there would have been 2,400 students in high school with me, and now I am in a Chinese class with eight others. In my old classes you could hide in the back of a room of 35, but here we’re all sitting around the table, face-toface. We have no choice but to say what we think, and to listen to what everyone else has to say. I never raised my hand in English class before I came here; I never thought my answers or ideas were sufficient. But the teachers here make it safe and comfortable for us to voice our thoughts. —Kiyon Hahm, Robbins House, Irvine, California Figuring out what my group was going to do for our Physics DYO (Design Your Own) experiment was hard because we had to pick only one idea out of all the ideas that we were so excited about. We had to create our own project, design the experiment, test, record our data, and then write up our results. What was challenging in the beginning turned out to be so rewarding because we were doing something that we wanted, that we were in charge of, that we had designed ourselves. —Petra Imouokhome, Hallowell House, San Ramon, California
The essays that we had to write this year were a lot more analytical than I was used to. I had to present a much stronger argument than I had in the past. Figuring it out was trial and error: making adjustments, talking with the teacher, reviewing the essay again. It was helpful being able to go back to the teacher again and again. —Maggie Walsh, Milton, Massachusetts I used to get all As. What I learned was that I had to adjust. I’m still working on it. It takes diligence and resilience. What’s different isn’t just the amount of work. What’s different is the way it’s graded and how much you have to step up your thinking. Participation around the table is very important. —Deema Dahleh, Cambridge, Massachusetts At my old school I was the only one in my grade who took French—it was basically a private class—and now I’m in class with 13 others who are so good at French, and we learn so much from each other. It’s good to have that challenge, to have people around you who push you a little. —Arty Berman, Forbes House, Riverside, Connecticut
Relying on Support Ms. Badynee is my advisor. She helps me figure out what I’m doing well at, what I need to work at, and how. She keeps it real with me, and she’s a good person. You can talk to her. And she has lots of connections. —Bright Osajie, Hyde Park, Massachusetts English was my favorite subject, but I was behind where I should have been. My English teacher gave me the time and the help to learn how to write a proper five-point essay. He understands that we all come from different backgrounds. And he didn’t mind talking about and explaining things going on outside the classroom. That felt good. —Lina Neidhardt, Canton, Massachusetts
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