Advanced Essay #2

Insecurities with myself vs the world around me

When my parents first migrated from the beautiful atmosphere of Morocco to the United States they were astonished to discover that their assets were very useful to their adaptation to the new environment. They won the lottery and came from Morocco with their diplomas and have gotten more in the US. In my household we speak Moroccan, Reefiya, Berber, French, and Spanish. I was born and raised in Kensington, Philadelphia. The majority of the race are hispanic/latino. I went to school in Kensington and made most of my closest friends here, and are now family to me.

After attending Elementary school and 6th grade in Kensington my mother realized I wasn’t receiving the education I should've been receiving, she wanted my siblings and I to have a goal in life. She began working with the School District Of Philadelphia, which allowed her to notice the differences between schools. I was in cyber school for 7th grade until my mother found another school I could attend. For 8th grade my mother took me to McCall which was how I found out about SLA. I struggled a lot when I was put into McCall, the teachers were no help all they did was put me down. All the students were already taking Algebra 2 meanwhile I haven't even gotten to Pre Algebra.

When I first attended SLA it was a whole new different experience for me, I was so insecure to talk because I knew my grammar was off and I was afraid they’d think I was not smart enough, as the way I was seen as in McCall by my classmates and teachers. I saw a huge difference between my friends at home and my classmates at SLA, everyone here has a goal and knows they're going to reach it one day. Most of the people I'm around don't have goals and aren't really thinking about college because they need to help support their family.  I noticed simple differences at SLA, like how their are barely any fights and especially how the teachers treat the students with such respect and value.

“There was christy blogger who at sixteen was dealing and according to rumor was a pimp as well.¨ This quote has resonated with me and I feel like I can relate to this story the most because the kids who come from certain areas do not have a large choice in schools and do not know of many. Most of the schools don't care about the students and their education because they know the school ratings are not as high. The treatment of the students is also terrible which causes them to feel less the what they are.
My youngest sister had an advantage she is only 4 and my mom placed her in a daycare downtown with children who have parents in really high positions. I noticed the difference in how she speaks vs my brother and I. I hear her using complex words and choosing her vocabulary wisley. One morning we were having breakfast and my sister was telling a story, as she was speaking she sounded so mature it would be impossible to think she was still young and at that age.  

It reminded me of how she is adapting to her surroundings and learns from the environment around her.

I learned a lot at SLA and being here has shaped me into the person I have become and the person I am molding myself to be in the future. I have gotten better at many things since my first year here. Attending SLA has showed me a lot about who I am, the world, and has expanded my thoughts and ideas on different topics.