Covalschi 1

Angeline Covalschi
Prof. D. Hanvey
STACC English 1
7 October 2014

The Negative to a Bright Future

Today the question I have set, is on behalf of the progression of my education. What is
literacy? How has literacy impacted my educational progress? As we take a journey through my
educational lows and highs of the past, I would like to discuss my educational timeline. Since the
beginning I have lived in Glendale, CA. All of the schools I have attended and gone to were in
close proximity to one another. My elementary school was only three blocks from my home;
some of the best memories made were at John Marshall Elementary. Nearly five blocks north
from my elementary school is Woodrow Wilson Middle School. I had a great time going to such
a wonderful school. All the teachers at this school actually care about each and every one of their
students. Both these schools in return, gave me exceptional literary experiences. Overall high
school became the pinnacle of an all-time bad and good learning experience. High school of
course was fairly different than previous years of school. The experience I had at Glendale High
School was troublesome. Although the second high school I later went to was one of the best
choices ever made, I lasted less than a month at GHS. Today I would like to discuss why
Glendale High School troubled my academic behavior. In the book The Freedom Writers
Diary, diary/ journal number four was easy to relate to in some sense.

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First off, according to journal number four of the Freedom Writers Diary, a student
describes a fighting scene that they get caught up in. This student describes the brutal fight which
happened on campus between different races because a freshman got punked. From a small fight,
the fight expanded and caught students like himself under its wing. What are you supposed to
do when someone swings at you? Swing back. (Anonymous 11) This story relates to me,
because I too experienced a similar fight. My experience no doubt is a little bit different, but the
outcome led to a huge fight. Glendale High was troublesome for myself and the only time I have
ever hit an all-time low academic wise. Coming to this school had a great downfall for my
educational learning process and the experience in general was horrid. Unfortunately, I cant
boast about my high school experience like others. This school is mainly dominated by a large
percentage of Armenians. Therefore different cliques have been established since the nineties, in
order to feel united. Most, if not all of my friends were ethnically Armenian. I grew up with
many and had learned to speak the Armenian language, in order to be socially accepted by them.
Everyone knew me, even people who I had never met before. I automatically tried hard to fit in
socially with my so called friends, but never paid attention academically in school. I was
doing the bare minimum and passing, therefore I never felt the need to excel in school. Social
status was a high priority and school was rock bottom on my list. The climax to this specific
school life changed the day I started high school. I became a target of bullying by a group of
senior girls, and essentially made new enemies. These bullies threw fuel to a fire, leading it to
one of the biggest fights of that school year. Im not the greatest person when anger engulfs me
because my temper is very short. So when being constantly attacked in every way possible, my
temper would always get the best of me. After being yelled at with hateful words and foul
language, I finally snapped. Just a few weeks into the school year, I was pressured into a fight by

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my own will. At lunch, the third week of school, I was sitting across a table from this group of
girls. One of the girls had started to yell out horrific names towards me while I tried to ignore the
voice. I instantly broke out of the calm state of mind I was in, when one of the girls had decided
to throw food at me. Now honestly, I am a girl with morals and should be respected like a normal
human being. When I felt these girls were treating me like some type of peasant, I blew the lid
off. I decided to throw back all the food towards the same girl, of course making her rage with
anger. This led to a huge fight between not just these bullies and me, but a good three tables
worth of students. Therefore some got caught under this fire, without any intention of fighting.
After that day, I decided to leave Glendale High because I had no more patience for people like
this. Just like the peanut game in diary 17 of The Freedom Writers Diary, I was judged for my
appearance. I could not please these girls no matter what, because they hated me for not being
their own kind. I did not look like them, therefore I was not allowed to be around them. The sight
of me being in their territory was what created this fiasco. Honestly, my entire high school
experience at GHS was ruined from that point on, therefore I felt the need to leave. I needed a
fresh start, so in turn I left and lost friends from my childhood. As much as this sounds like a
drag, the highest pinnacle of my overall high school experience helped me overcome this low
point in high school.
My educational high point in high school was getting the chance to go to Verdugo
Academy. Before going to Verdugo Academy, I never cared about my academic success.
Literacy was very basic, or so I thought. My educational priorities were lightly looked at prior to
entering this school. I cared more about my social life with friends, than how well I was doing in
school. Before meeting some of the most caring teachers, my academic mindset was fixed. As
long as I did the bare minimum and passed with average grades, I never felt the need to go

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beyond that. I rarely read a book, and would leave my reading assignments to the very end until
VA. My respect goes out for one particular professor, which made me blossom through both
eleventh and twelfth grade. I truly love every teacher I was able to work with coming to this
school, but Professor Emil Celani is the greatest teacher Ive ever met. Just as Ms. Gruwell in
The Freedom Writers Diary inspired her students to excel academically, I as well was given such
a chance. It was because of this teacher, I felt the need to graduate. Before meeting him, I was a
slouch. I never once studied for anything EVER, until he pressured me to do better. With his
help, I did increasingly well in school, and set my academic standards high. About three times a
week at six oclock in the morning, I would go to his classroom in search of help. Whether it was
a written paper, or just study tips, he was always there for me. He believed in me unlike anyone
else. He urged me to do better academically, and in turn I did amazingly well. There was never a
test I got under an A, nor any of my essays. I became fond of writing, and would express my
emotions through writing. I began to read new novels every week, and was constantly glued to
any book I got my hands on. The fixed mindset I had carried around for years was destroyed, and
because of the high standards which were pushed by Mr. Celani. In turn, I was able to graduate
one semester earlier than my peers, and finished school with a 3.9 GPA.
According to Carol Dwecks ideas of a fixed and growth mindset in The Perils and
Promises of Praise, a student with a growth mindset in the long run will do better than a student
with a fixed mindset. And so, I am able to prove to you that a fixed mindset will take a toll on
ones learning process. Before going to Verdugo Academy, I never tried hard enough for anything
in school. My priorities were pressured by peer pressure the first school year, and so I never felt
the need to study. My mindset had become so fixed, that I stopped learning anything. I was a
sitting duck in class, listening to the class lecture, but not comprehending the meaning of the

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lecture. As one might say, going in through one ear and coming out the other. I felt that my
understanding of literacy was well under developed. Just like many students, one might say
literacy is reading and being able to write. But I believe that the idea can create a fixed mindset.
In order to reach a certain level of literacy in any subject that might be relevant, one must be able
to comprehend from a learning process. I was sitting in class, taking tests, and getting an average
test score. Why was I not trying hard enough? Why wasnt I getting a superior grade? It was
because my mindset was fixed and wrapped in a coat of misunderstanding. There were many
times where I would read something, but was not able to critically analyze what was just read.
This exactly would prove the case of a fixed mindset. Just because I read the text in a textbook, I
felt that it was the most I was capable of. After changing from a fixed mindset into a growth
mindset; reading the text is not enough. If you want to prosper academically and understand the
true literacy behind a subject, one must be capable to explain the text. When I study, I give
reason, and explain to myself why it has meaning. It becomes a great technique in order to fully
comprehend and grasp the written text, in a text book. Studying this way for example, actually is
a strong skill to be literate in any subject. Therefore when I set an academic standard for myself
(to comprehend), the overall outcome is because of a growth mindset. Having a fixed mindset at
GHS was related to peer and self- induced pressure. Previously being stuck with a fixed mindset,
correlates with both these pressures. According to William Zinsser in College Pressures, there
is four academic pressures. Of these four I believe that two of these pressures were the main key
for my fixed mindset. Peer Pressure: Trying to be socially accepted, I cared what my friends
thought. In order to gain acceptance, I made sure I was doing academically average, and set my
standards exactly to how well my peers were doing. Self- induced Pressure: I became lazy and
stuck with a fixed mindset. Having a fixed mindset was self- induced, and therefore was an

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academic pressure by itself. Luckily after the negative experience in high school, I can actually
say things certainly got better. The change in mindsets, changed my academic experience in high
school tremendously.
Moreover, there was a specific novel I read during high school, which inspired me to
read. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy had the capability to change my fondness for literary works
of art. As I would read, I found myself in depth with the story line and felt trapped in its words.
The book itself is a masterpiece, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. One particular
quote in this book made me want to extract all the knowledgeable words written by Tolstoy. In
the novel War and Peace, Tolstoy writes; The strongest of all warriors are these two- time and
patience (x- Ch.16). The words written by Tolstoy are remarkable. Because of these words, I
wanted to expand my knowledge of all things. I felt I was capable of doing better in school,
because even if I wasnt able to understand a subject, I knew that studying hours and asking for
help would help me gain the needed knowledge. From that day, I was never afraid to take on
anything I wasnt able to understand. The growth mindset I had now contained, gave me a
literacy of knowledge.
All in all, Ive gotten to this point now. Having a growth mindset, I came to Pasadena
City College during high school and have been here since. Because of the goals I have set for
myself, I believe I need a college education. I want to become a somebody later down the line.
Working a full time job and coming to PCC, is the first stepping stone to accomplishing my
future academic goals Ive placed. PCC is the core foundation to whats in store for me next.
Yes, it can be hard at times; working and going to school may put a load of stress upon me. I
struggle at times to be the best in both places, therefore this is the effect of economic pressure.
Economic pressure is another pressure William Zinsser writes about. The reason why economic

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pressure is relevant for me, is because Im the only one paying to get myself through college.
This is my responsibility, no one elses. I work in order to come to school, and I have never
taken coming to PCC for granted. I love this school, and will always remember it as the
foundation for everything else that will surely come. In the long run, I do all of this in hope of
reaching USC.
My long term goal after PCC is to get my degree in Kinesiology. Once I will acquire this,
my intention is to go to medical school at USC. USC is the leading University in physical
therapy, and so I want to become the best. I have big dreams, but all are possible because of a
growth mindset. I feel the urge and need to become a physical therapist. The very first time I
decided I wanted to become a DPT, was when I saw my neighbor being treated by one. My
neighbor was a fragile old lady with a broken hip. She had stayed in a wheel chair for about a
year, until one day her DPT got her to walk her first steps out the house. Its a remarkable
experience knowing you can change the life of a person. I truly love helping people, and I enjoy
human anatomy. I will try my best in order to become such a person. I will defeat the economic
pressure no matter what. USC may cost a lot of money for medical school, but Im crazy enough
to work a night time job to pay for it. Everything I strive for will become worth it in the end.
Thanks to my all-time low and high points during high school, and the evolution behind a fixed
to growth mindset; I will try my best. I will try my best because anything and everything can be
possible. My goal may be a longer term goal than others, and it may also take more time. But the
true fact is, I will get my doctorate in physical therapy at USC. With that being said, literacy in
ones learning process is the main element for academic success. Developing literacy, and
increasing my growth mindset, will help me reach my educational goals. Hopefully I will help

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the lives of many, and ease the pain and frustration of every human being I have the chance to
work with.
In conclusion, high school became the jump start for my future academic success. As I
stated in the beginning, journal entry number four in The Freedom Writers Diary, was related
to my lowest point in high school. That specific fight changed the course of events in my life.
Hitting rock bottom freshman year was a glorious changing point in my life, and I am able to say
my mind set drastically changed. As a freshman I was pressured by my peers and by my own
self, creating a fixed mindset academically. I did not understand the true meaning of literacy
until after leaving GHS, were I was able to go to Verdugo Academy. Here my academic
priorities changed drastically. With the help of Mr. Celani, my own personal Ms. Gruwell, I
strived to do better. I excelled and evolved a fixed mindset in a growth mindset. I now am
capable of understanding the true meaning of literacy, and have expanded my knowledge
through remarkable books. Through my own personal experience, I believe literacy is essential
to ones academic success. In order to have an exceptional learning process of literacy, one must
be able to comprehend and critically analyze a subject. With a growth mind set, college pressures
will never take a toll on my academic success.

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Bibliography

The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell. The Freedom Writers Diary. New York:
Broadway Books, 2009. Print.

Dweck, Carol. The Perils and Promises of Praise. 2007. Canvas.

Tolstoy, Leo, Louise Maude, and Aylmer Maude. "Bk. X, Ch. 16." War and Peace. Leicester:
Ulverscroft, 1976. N. pag. Print.

Zinsser, William. College Pressures. Readings for Revolutionary Writing. Boston: Redford/
St Martins, 2013. 393-400. Print.