I am walking out of my classroom and into another and it feels like I'm about to break down like my world is about to end and I have no clue what to do. It was my AVID teacher's room, and she is one of my favorite teachers ever! But before we get too deep into the story let's rewind. 

It was a perfectly normal day, I had AVID, and after I had SEL. I was doing great in both those classes and also in the rest. But in Algebra I was having difficulty with it. My 3rd oldest brother Jose is great at Math, well, when he tries. I was struggling in Math but I was still doing amazing. Although I am struggling in Algebra I don’t like to ask for help, and the reason is that ever since I was little I had this mindset that I had to be the perfect child, the perfect student, the perfect friend. My parents always pushed me to be perfect too, like in spelling tests I had to get A’s or in tests, and classwork. I had to get principal's list and maintain my perfect GPA. 

Over the years it was like that but it got worse in middle school. I worked so hard to get good grades that it took up most of my free time, and I rarely went out. Since I was a Spanish learner I always felt that I had to try harder in everything that I did, so I did just that. I pushed my friends out and just focused on school. In 6th grade I did great, and then we went online. I still did great but that was when I got into Algebra. I went from being in the lowest math class to the highest. But since I was in the class it took up a lot of my time, and I was rarely on my phone. My screen time went down 22% since I joined that class!

My brother can even tell you I had a full-on mental breakdown because I failed a test for Algebra online. 

He said, “Don’t worry I’ll help you!”

I amidentity declined but he insisted, it took a lot for me to let him help me but I didn’t want to get a bad grade so I let him help me. I retook the test and I got a better score! After he made me a cup of hot chocolate and a grilled cheese so I could stay up and finish my work. But I still wouldn't let people help me after that.

 The next day I walked out of my Social Studies class and decided to look at my grades before I walked into my last class which was Algebra. To my surprise, I had an F in Algebra, and I couldn't stop crying. The tears flowed down my cheeks. I acted as if nothing happened and went into my Algebra class. My teacher was not there that day because she was in a meeting all day, so I could not talk to her about why I had that grade. 

My friends were so caring they said, “Don’t worry she gave us F’s too and we are going to email her.”  

I was so upset that I could not even pay attention to our lesson in Algebra. Our substitute just gave us notes and then the work. The whole time in that class I kept eyeballing the clock to see if we were out yet but it took an eternity to end. Then, finally, the bell rang, it was a relief to get out of that class, and again I started crying. 

 My friends saw that I was crying and said “It’s going to be okay, she said to just do I-Ready.” 

So I said, “Okay thank you guys for helping me!”

I am finally walking out of my classroom and into another and it feels like I'm about to break down still like my world is about to end and I have no clue what to do. I saw my friend so I waited for her and we started walking to my AVID teacher's class. She knew that I was acting off, and I tried to hide that I was crying/upset but she still noticed. So when I walked in my teacher was putting stuff away. 

She said, “Hey guys come in.” She is super nice, and so we walked in, and after she said “How was your guy's day?”  Right after she said that I started crying next to my friend. 

My friend said “Que Paso” which means what happened? I told both of them and my friend hugged me, and said, “Don’t worry we will talk to her” but I said that it was fine. 

Then my AVID teacher said, “Well I have a meeting with her and the rest of the teachers” and then she said, “Don’t worry I will talk to her for you, and I will ask her why you have an F because I know you are a hard-working student.”

I said “Thank you!’ and I gave her a hug. So I went to kids club, which is an after-school program, and sat down with Sydney and Synthia. We all got out our computers and did homework and I ended up doing 100+ minutes on I-Ready. I told them what happened and they were very caring and hugged me. After we finished our homework we went to go play with the soccer ball. Then I finally went to basketball practice, and I really did not want to go, but it helped me keep my mind off things for a while. 

That night my AVID teacher texted me and said “How is your heart doing?” 

I replied with “Sorry, I was at practice, but I am doing alright.” She was so caring and I felt a little better after she talked to me. 

Finally, it was the next day, and it felt like my classes took forever and I was dreading Algebra. At lunch, I was eager to look at my grades so I took my phone out and went on Aries. I was in shock when my Algebra grade was an A. I was so happy and thankful that I asked for help. I went to Algebra and this time I wasn’t terrified to go in. 

After class, I went to my AVID teacher and she said that my grade should be back to normal. I thanked her with all my heart and was so grateful. Ever since that happened to me, I have been trying to ask for help when I really need it instead of being quiet.

 So in the end my brother, friends, and my AVID teacher really helped me grow from that experience and helped me learn that asking for help is not bad, and even the smartest people ask for help sometimes. To finish this off, my favorite quote to this day is “Asking for help is never a sign of weakness. It’s one of the bravest things you can do.” (Lily Collins)