So, middle school is weeks away from being over. It’s a strange feeling—not super emotional or anything dramatic—but just weird knowing I won’t be back in that building next year. High school is up next, and even though I’m not exactly jumping for joy, I guess I’m ready for whatever’s coming.
My grades this year were pretty average overall—nothing too crazy, but I managed to keep things under control. Well, except for Spanish. That class nearly tanked me. I was seriously failing at one point, sitting somewhere around a 62. I don’t even know how it got that bad, but it did. Between not paying attention and struggling to keep up with everything else, it just sort of spiraled.
But somehow, I turned it around. In the last few weeks of the year, I got it together and managed to pull my Spanish grade up to a 90. Not gonna lie, I had a little help—from ChatGPT. Yeah, I used it for a bunch of quizzes and assignments. It’s not something I’m recommending or bragging about, but I needed the boost. And it worked. My teacher never caught on, and I didn’t completely blow the class. Crisis averted.
Outside of school, most of my time was taken up by baseball. I played on three different teams this year, which was kind of insane when I think about it. Some days I’d go straight from school to practice, then head to another practice or game right after. Weekends were packed with doubleheaders, tournaments, or back-to-back games. I love baseball, but I won’t lie—there were days it felt like too much.
Trying to balance all of that with school was tough. There were nights I came home completely wiped out, only to remember I had a project to finish or a test to study for. And somehow, teachers still think it’s totally reasonable to give us two hours of homework on top of all that. There’s this idea that we’re supposed to be “well-rounded”—good grades, sports, social life—but nobody really tells you how to actually manage it all. It gets stressful fast.
There were weeks where I was constantly tired. Not just physically, but mentally. You wake up early, sit through classes all day, then run straight to practice or games, and still have to be on top of your assignments. Everyone talks about finding balance, but honestly, it’s not that easy. It starts to wear you down.
Teachers don’t always seem to get that we have other things going on outside of school. Assigning huge essays over the weekend when you already have a full schedule doesn’t exactly help anyone. Sometimes I felt like I was just trying to stay afloat, hoping I didn’t miss something important or forget an assignment. There were moments when I wanted to just shut off everything and sleep for a week.
Then there’s the pressure—from parents, coaches, teachers, and even myself. I didn’t want to be the kid who was failing or the one who had to sit out a game because of grades. It always felt like I had to be “on.” Good at school, good at sports, still find time for friends, and try not to fall apart. It’s a lot.
But somehow, I made it. We had our graduation ceremony last week. I didn’t trip going up to get my certificate, which I consider a personal win. My family took way too many pictures. I smiled in like two of them. It wasn’t that I wasn’t happy—it just didn’t feel like this huge life moment. More like, “Okay, cool. That’s done.”
Now it’s summer. And surprise—I’m playing even more baseball. But at least there’s no homework for a while. Maybe I’ll finally get to sleep in a few days. That honestly sounds amazing.
So yeah, I survived middle school. Passed my classes (barely saved Spanish), played on three baseball teams, and didn’t completely lose my mind. I don’t really know what to expect from high school, but I’m hoping it’s not too overwhelming. We’ll see how it goes.
