Have you ever distanced yourself from someone because you didn’t want to seem “uncool”?  Has anyone ever done that to you?  Explain why and how it felt (or how you feel about it now in retrospect).  5-7 sentences

As a young first grader, I was new to my school, and was ready to converse and make friendships with as many students as I could. After a few weeks of making connections, I decided that my strongest bonds were with five kids. Unfortunately, one of these five kids was quite un-liked and unpopular. I had three or four playdates with him, but I noticed that my four other friends were distancing from me because of this one unpopular student. I had to think fast; would I betray a bond I had made because of social status, or stay with a friend and face the consequences of unpopularity? I chose to betray the bond. After looking back at this experience, I wish I had found a better way to keep the bond I had shared, while also sparing my social statues.

At the end of this chapter, the Monkey King is no longer content with his status in life.  He faces the reality of his situation—he is a monkey and not a god.  Describe a time in your life when you came to a realization about some aspect of your life and you were finally able to see it for what it was (called disillusionment).  Describe the effect on you. (7-10 sentences)

 

As a young child, I was immersed in an overly progressive and unrigorous California school called Westland. After attending school there for six years, my family and I decided to move to the East Coast. Our journey was abrupt, but exciting. The one  challenge was that I had to apply to schools and take the test as soon as possible. I studied with a tutor for four months, and shortly before the test, took a practice exam. After struggling through every question, I realized the environment I had grown up in did not teach me enough of the academic necessities I needed to take the test. I had a sudden realization that the school I had relentlessly praised, might have not been the best fit for me. After taking the exam, I was accepted into two of my top choices. While my test scores were average, the schools, and specifically LREI, accepted me because of the social and political skills I had learned from my prior education. I was able to finally understand that while I struggled with a state test, I did not have to define my intelligence by that one exam. The lessons I had learned, and currently do learn at LREI, have taught me how to be a person rather than a good test scorer.