In "Sophomore Slump", Shayna T. recalls the time she checked her final grades for her sophomore year. Unfortunately, she finds them unsatisfactory, being below her grades for her freshman year. This causes her to make a vow that she would do better during her junior year. This experience was nearly identical to my own, making it so that I can empathize with her.
    

Like Shayna, I believe I am generally a smart kid, but lack effort. The line "I got so used to not having to put in much effort to succeed that when more effort was needed I didn't know (still don't really know) how to adjust my tactics accordingly" practically defines my middle school experience. Elementary school tauht me that life was easy, and that school was about fun and little to no work. It did nothing to prepare me for seventh grade, the year I started struggling academically. Like Shayna's freshman year, I got top honors in sixth grade, giving me false confidence. I expected final grades of the same level for seventh grade, and was highly dissapointed when I barely scraped the nineties. In response, I promised myself to focus more in eighth grade, and was rewarded with grades higher than even the ones I got in sixth grade. This was a moving and relatable piece that I really enjoyed. Best of luck to Shayna for her junior year.