Rickel 1

Synthesis Essay

Throughout the entirety of this course, our will and character have been put to the test

through the different variety of assignments and lessons that were given to us. I have learned so

much about myself academically, socially, and mentally by taking part in this course. The impact

that this course has and will have on my life is much more than I could have expected when I

walked through the door on January third. This class was at times very difficult and stressful but

the memories that I made within this class are ones that I will remember for a long time to come.

As a student, I can see how just by learning lessons or “taking Ls” how I have monumentally

grown and will continue to grow in the future. My attitude has also changed in result of this

class, I now think to how I can fix things rather than moping and feeling sorry for myself.

Character was a big thing that Mrs. McFadden pushed and I can tell that as a result of that, my

character has taken a leap upward. This class has helped me grow in many ways including,

academically, socially, and mentally. I will be forever thankful for lessons that I have learned

throughout this course.

Academically, I have learned an abundance of lessons from this class. I started the year

off with a zero on the second day because I did not have my binder set up in time. I could tell

that this was going to be a long semester if I did not start to come to class prepared. According to

the syllabus, The first sentence says “One of the hardests aspects of becoming an adult was the

lack of preparation”. I could immediately tell that preparation was going to be one of the most

important aspects that Mrs. Mcfadden was going to try to drill into us. Preparation is one of the

things that I believe that I grew in as the semester moved forward. Another aspect of how I grew

academically was simply just learning to turn in and do the work. In the first quarter I had over
 2

ten zeros which is unacceptable in my eyes now. I was able to learn that I have to make time to

get things done and ensure that they are high quality when I turn them in. I have learned a lot of

lessons when it comes to the importance of my work and my mentality coming into classes.

“Don’t find fault, find remedy” is a quote from John Wooden, one of the many quotes

that Mrs. McFadden has across her walls. I take this quote to heart and have learned from it

throughout the semester. Some of the biggest ways that I have grown as a student within the

class is my growth mentally and socially. I have created some friendships that I did not think I

would form before coming into this class. I am friends with many new people that made this

course quite the experience at times. These new connections helped me to find motivation at

times when it was not looking too positive. These are bonds that will go further than just high

school friendships. They truly have made this semester a memorable one. The other way, and in

my opinion the most important way, that this class has transformed me is though my change in

mentality. My mentality coming into this semester was not good at all. I had senioritis and I was

not motivated to put out any good work at all. That all changed when I learned the hard way in

this course. I learned that if I wanted to be successful in anything I would have to put everything

I had into things, even the stuff I did not want to do. Kobe Bryant once said “Everything negative

– pressure, challenges – is all an opportunity for me to rise.”. I take this into my everyday life as

an opportunity to better myself.

This class has been one of the most impactful classes that I have ever been a part of in

any school. The amount of things that I have learned about myself and what it takes to be

successful baffles me. I can honestly say that I have grown as a person in more ways than one. I

have especially grown mentally, socially, and academically. I have learned lessons that I will
 3

take with me for the rest of my life. Memories of bonds that I have formed with my peers will be

things that I will never forget moving forward. This meaningful quote by Sophie Kinsella pretty

much sums up the semester, “There’s no such thing as ruining your life. Life’s a pretty resilient

thing, it turns out.”