Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

I haven’t always been a hard worker. Prior to fifth grade, I did the bare minimum for school because I was able to effortlessly do well at everything my teachers expected me to do. Unfortunately, those teachers didn’t expect me to write properly, so I was unaware I didn’t know how to do so until my mom brought it to my attention in fifth grade. Shortly thereafter, she began providing me with a supplemental writing education to ensure I would have a solid writing foundation and would develop a love of writing that would make me myself want to continue to grow as a writer throughout my life; I will forever be thankful for her astute observations and unwavering support, for she not only has enabled me to thrive in my school English classes but also has instilled in me the importance of dedication, consistency, and hard work in all aspects of my life—both at school and outside of it.

Since fifth grade, I have been working diligently with my mom on improving my writing skills. In fifth and sixth grade, my mom helped me develop a solid writing foundation by teaching me how to spell the 1,200 words used most frequently in writing, how to methodically edit writing and associate rules with my edits, and how to understand different parts of speech in sentences. She then taught me how to properly plan for, construct, and revise writing and how to use a dictionary to ensure I use words properly. Once I had built a solid writing foundation, she had me apply the aforementioned skills in the real world by helping her with her writing business. Whenever possible, I tutor her students who need extra spelling and editing help, mentor middle school students in her weekly writing critique classes, and edit and proofread her business emails and monthly newsletters.

Initially, I was not thankful for the writing help my mom was providing me with, but as I have progressed through middle and high school, where teachers focus more heavily on writing, I have become more thankful for her help. At the beginning of sixth grade, my writing skills were still subpar; thus, I continued to work on them with my mom. As the school year progressed, I became more comfortable with writing, and at the end of it, I earned the highest possible score for the English Language Arts/Literacy section on California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, which motivated me to continue to work on my writing skills. In seventh and eighth grade, I didn’t have to spend as much time working on my school writing assignments and essays and got better grades on them. Those grades helped me get accepted into the advanced English program at my school as a rising freshman, and each year I have been in the program, I have earned mostly A’s on my essays—grades I most likely would not have earned without my supplemental writing education. Moreover, I received numerous positive teacher comments on them such as “Your effort the entire year has been outstanding.”

Seeing the results of my hard work with writing has motivated me to work hard in all of my school courses—not just English—and in my extracurricular activities. I spend approximately three hours each weekday night making sure I thoroughly understand all of the concepts that were taught in my classes that day. For my orchestra class, I spend multiple hours outside of class practicing for solo and small group performances, and for football, I religiously show up to non-required meetings, lifts, and practices, and I am always 20 minutes early to every practice. Ultimately, the supplemental writing education my mom has provided me with has inspired me to continue to work hard and to inspire those around me to work hard. (Word count: 637)

J.C., twelfth-grade student