Looking Back on My High School Experience: The Best I've Ever Had

Born out of a need to help the less privileged in our community, my school was founded. It was run by teachers who were committed to our personal growth and free-willingly imparted us. I was privileged to be part of such an academic setting from which I learned a lot. We were pretty small in number and therefore closely knit. To put it simply, we had a great support system.

One of my greatest influences was from our principal (the founder of my school). He was a selfless being and I learnt a lot from him. He made me realize that each person has different strengths. In effect, since no one is a 'master of it all', we have to depend on one another if we want to progress in life. Owing to my reserved nature, I usually kept to myself, but that statement alone made me to come out of my 'cocoon'. Since then, I began to learn new things, different ways to approach things and engage other people's sense of reasoning. While in class, he ensured that his teachings were centered around real life applications. For instance, when he taught us calculus - I could remember how he used differentiation and integration, to show us how Faith, Love... were interconnected. I then realized that mathematics extended beyond mere x and y variables, I began to see its application in 'lifematics'. He was someone who would never hide any reservations he had about us. It could sometimes be hurtful, but this certainly helped me in working on my weak spots. I also realised that when I informed people about my perceptions about their characters, in a kind manner, I began to have a lighter heart and felt happier. Aside from that, I helped them in becoming better versions of themselves.

He didn't have much, but gave much. He supported us in getting school supplies and was concerned about our overall well being. This inspired me to learn the act of giving, even when I had little.

Words alone cannot describe how passionate my teachers were about imparting us, not just academically, but spiritually as well as with lifelong learning skills. In house debates organized by my English/Literature in English teacher also helped me with building my self confidence, particularly in public speaking. I was even more inspired after I won a debate where I competed against some of my seniors.

I always had the desire to share any knowledge that I had with others. Therefore, I usually had to sacrifice time from my break and other free periods to teach my fellow classmates any topic that I had gained mastery in, I also took this passion outside the boundaries of my class. I was overjoyed when I got a feedback a girl that I had taught. Usually, she had to go and help her mother out at her shop, after school. Her mother acknowledged how much easier her business had become with her, as she helped her with accurate daily bookkeeping.

As a class captain, throughout my stay, I ensured that I contributed my quota to seeing everyone progress, always being guided by our motto: Nurturing Kings for Future Exploits, I made sure I understood and exhibited the characteristics of king, behaving as best as I possibly could, with humility, as well as being mindful of the attributes that I had learnt. Our science related courses were quite rigorous. In fact some of the questions in our textbooks were tagged as questions that could be solved by academically gifted students. We had to solve most of these questions to ensure we had fully grasped the subject matter and I always felt relieved after solving these type of questions.

To sum it up, my schooling experience was one of the best that I could ever ask for, in the sense that it was unique from any other and helped in moulding me to become a better person.