Nadia Sharpe 1

Uwrite 1101
January 17, 2017

Overcoming the North Carolina school system

Growing up all 12 years in North Carolina public school system a specific format

of writing was embedded in the minds of young children which was altered slightly as the

educational level increased. The reading skills of children have been shaped to only get

one multiple choice questions right. Writing was also a progressive expertise in which as

the years progressed the child gained more insight on writing and the standards

amplified.

While in elementary school adolescents who attended Partnership Elementary

were blessed with the opportunity of going to a school with a set mission to help students

perform at their fullest potential. Learners at partnerships were able to receive a lot of

individual help from teachers because they were placed in smaller group with other

children who were challenged and needed specific attention from teachers such as Mrs.

Lizzot, and Mrs. Moore. Students were tested with timed writing and writing prompts

that required them to plot their thoughts on paper in the 5 step also known as the house

diagram which included a topic paragraph, 3 body paragraphs, and a conclusion

paragraph which included 5 sentences or more.

In elementary school, reading was taken very seriously. There were levels to

reading and these pupils met in groups every day to read aloud with each other and

discuss what theyd read. These books contained pictures to help them better understand

the concept, and if the material was too hard theyd have the to do one on one sessions

with the teachers or tutors. This part of literacy was tested with timed multiple choice
Nadia Sharpe 2
Uwrite 1101
January 17, 2017

questions that quizzed them on the main points, point of views, theme and more. These

test challenged students as a reader because instead of reading for pure knowledge they

read to answers the questions correctly.

Grades six through eight were a slight transition from primary school to high

school. The three years were focused mainly on extending the length of the students

writing instead of broadening their vocabulary for more intelligent writing and helping

them write better for excellent writing. Reading became increasingly harder and the

qualifications to get the comprehension questions right were raised. This section of

school set the bar high for some adolescents educational career.

High school took a turn for the worst when the stakes got higher and the

students received less help from teachers. High school was considered to be more

independent work and it was hard to succeed unless the student went the extra mile to get

help. In the tenth grade teenagers were taught a more in depth version of the 5 paragraph

writing format called the M.E.A.L. plan. The M in meal stood for main idea, the E stood

for evidence, the A stood for analysis, and the L stood for lead out. This structure was to

ensure we wrote in the exact format our writing department wanted. This was challenging

because everyone had to make my story fit their lay out. The reading was a challenge as

well because the stories were longer with more in depth questions with a stricter time

frame. High school also included the ACT and SAT which was timed reading, math, and

science questions and a writing portion with less resources than a typical test given by a

teacher.
Nadia Sharpe 3
Uwrite 1101
January 17, 2017

In high school I personally received a confirmation from my doctor than I suffer

from attention deficit disorder which means its extremely difficult for me to complete a

task that someone with a normal learning pattern can complete with no problem. I started

coping mechanisms and taking prescription drugs to help better my focus, I also receives

accommodations from my school which allowed me to test longer than my peers. This

disorder made it very hard for me than others, to succeed and made me question my

chances of doing well when furthering my education in college although Im here and

still struggling but putting extra determination into making it out of college.