Robles 1

(Original Document)

Olivia Robles

Pre-AP English 9 / Period 5

Mr. Boyatt

28 August 2017

Hard Work

In seventh grade I was falling off track and I wasn’t taking school very seriously. When seventh

grade ended I had four A’s and two B’s, and I wasn’t thrilled with my grades because I knew I didn’t put

much effort into my seventh grade year. My parents were okay with my grades but I could tell that they

knew I wasn’t trying very hard. It really bothered me knowing that I could of ended seventh grade with

straight A’s. I was offered a big reward if I ended seventh grade with straight A’s, but I failed to do so.

This did not make me feel proud, and I was extremely disappointed. I like to accomplish things because it

makes me proud, so I decided to set a goal for eighth grade year. My goal was to keep straight A’s for the

whole 8th grade year. It was difficult for me because I have a bad habit of not studying. For me to

complete my goal successfully I had to get into the habit of studying. At the beginning of the year I

worked hard and took advantage of extra credit, so in almost all classes I had over 100 percent. I was very

pleased with the way I started 8th grade. Eventually unit test started coming up, and those require

studying, simply because they are bigger test. To my surprise I actually started off with good studying

habits and I aced all my unit test. Unfortunately, after winter break I started to get back into my bad habit

of not studying. My science grade dropped from an A plus to an A minus, and even worse, a science final

was coming up. I was angry at myself because I was on the edge of getting a B. I studied hard for my

science test because I was not going to let one test ruin my goal. Test day arrived and I was super nervous

hoping I had studied the right things. I really wanted to complete my goal because I love the feeling of

accomplishment and I hate the feeling of failure. Most importantly I wanted to make my parents proud.
 Robles 2

My goal result depended on this test. I needed to ace it. After completing my test I was impatiently

waiting for the results to be posted. I would check my grades almost every five minutes. Finally, my

science teacher posted my score. After looking at my score I was extremely proud of myself because I had

just received an A on my science final. I knew that I officially completed my goal. Straight A’s and zero A

minuses. As soon as I found out I told my parents immediately and they were very proud. I was proud of

my success. My hard work gave me better study habits, time management, and a drive to keep working

hard. I loved the feeling of accomplishment, and because of this one goal that I completed I now

understand better all the great things that hard work can get you.
 Robles 3

(Revised Document)

Olivia Robles

Mrs. Wold

ERWC P.1

15 March 2021

Hard Work

Seventh grade was the year where school was the last thing on my mind. I put little to no effort on

my work and ended with four A’s and two B’s. It is disappointing because I know I had the potential to

achieve all A’s. I was offered a big reward if I ended seventh grade with straight A’s, but I failed to do so.

Failing with the potential to achieve my academic goals was a terrible feeling because I can’t even lighten

the situation by saying I tried my best. During the summer of seventh grade I told myself I will not finish

middle school regretting my academic performance. My goal was to achieve straight A’s for the 8th grade

year. My two obstacles were procrastination and a habit of under preparing for tests. In order to achieve

my goal I had to fix my bad habits. First I wanted a jump start in my classes, so I took advantage of extra

credit, leaving me with grades over 100%. I was very pleased with the way I started 8th grade.

Eventually unit test started coming up, and those require studying. To my surprise I actually started off

with good studying habits and I aced all my unit test. Unfortunately, after winter break I started to get

back into my bad habit of not studying. My science grade dropped from an A plus to an A minus, and

even worse, a science final was coming up. I was upset at myself because I was on the edge of getting a

B. I studied hard for my science test because I was not going to let one test ruin my goal. Test day arrived

and I was super nervous hoping I had studied the right material. I really wanted to complete my goal

because the feeling of success is like none other. Most importantly I wanted to make my parents proud.

My goal result depended on this test as it can swing my grade either way. After completing my test I was

impatiently waiting for the results to be posted, constantly checking my phone. Finally, my science
 Robles 4

teacher posted my score. After looking at my score I was extremely proud of myself because I had just

received an A on my science final. My goal was finally completed. A vertical line of A’s appeared in front

of me. As soon as I found out I told my parents immediately and they were very proud. My hard work

gave me better study habits, time management, and the drive to keep working hard. The feeling of

accomplishments was a huge eye opener to what hard work can lead to. It taught me that hard work will

always pay off.

 Robles 5

Reflection

I improved my personal narrative by rewording sentences and getting rid of repetitive words and

statements. I also corrected some spelling and grammar mistakes. I got rid of most unnecessary sentences

and made a complete replacement. Some words were also replaced with better vocabulary. Some

punctuation was also corrected.