Revisiting Grade 10 Memories

A glimpse of my last year in junior high school. They say that during your last year in junior high, grade 10, is the time when you should enjoy, have lots of fun, and make great memories. They also say that things would change when you get to senior high, so you should have fun in your last year in JHS. I did not really see why it had to be that big of a deal at first, but as year went by, they were right. The bonds I made with my classmates are now memories that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. I realize now why Grade 10 was so memorable. It's because it marks the end of junior high. You have spent several years with the same classmates, and Grade 10 is the time to really strengthen those friendships before you all move on to different paths.

But Grade 10 is not just about having memories and making the most out of every little moment with your classmates, teachers, and friends. It's also about improvement. Why? Grade 10 is an opportunity for improvement because it is at this time that you already get to know yourself. You can learn your strengths and weaknesses, manage challenges, and how to answer yourself with accountability for your actions. This even involves finding your interests and preparing yourself for the future. This involves career guidance, where you begin to explore various paths and learn what kind of work might be suited for you.

Let me tell you about my dream career. As far as I can remember, I wanted to be a doctor. Every time someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I would always say, "I want to be a doctor because I want to heal people." I am proud to say that even as I have grown older, my dream has not changed. I learned some things in the process. Being a doctor, especially one in medicine, is very costly because the course is expensive. I also I don’t like seeing blood, it feels strange to me, though I’ve gotten better at handling it.

Becoming a teacher was also one of my choices, but being an ambivert, I don't really like talking and presenting in front of people because I get nervous easily, and I'm not very good at explaining lessons or reporting. This was hard for me to decide what exactly I wanted for my future, but Career Guidance helped. For the whole process, our adviser explained many things that made me come to know more about my goals. So, I concluded that I really want a career in medicine, but I felt that I should be specific. That's when I realized I want to be a veterinarian. I love animals, and I want to help them. So, before the day of Career Guidance, I decided that I want to be a veterinarian. Our teacher also informed us that we may change our choices of career during the process, but we should make final decision before we step into Senior High School.

(Here are some photos taken before and during our Career Guidance day. It was actually one of the most fun and memorable experiences I had in Grade 10.)

Time skipped to our Moving Up Day, the day we finally finished our journey in junior high school and opened a new chapter for our senior high school journey. I couldn't believe I had made it through junior high. Remembering we were just once Grade 7 students, doing modular classes because of the pandemic, and now here we are, walking across the stage to receive the diplomas we deserve. Seeing my classmates walk up to the stage to receive the awards they worked so hard for made me happy. We've all seen each other's hard work to earn those awards. We've seen each other cry, beg for help, study hard, and even fall asleep during free time or skip breakfast because we were rushing to school, late from staying up all night to finish projects and assignments.

There are so many memories from my Grade 10 year that it would take a lot of words to talk about all of them. But the memories I will forever cherish are the times we have random chit-chat in class with our adviser, laugh over the jokes made by our classmates, share tips and advices with each other (especially when someone’s heartbroken, lol) and sing birthday songs even if it's not someone's birthday yet, do role-playing activities, and playing games.

Grade 10 Einstein will always have a special place in my heart. Even though my classmates and I had different interests and personalities, we had one thing in common, we always supported each other and made the best out of every moment we spent together.

Now, we’ve all gone our separate ways.
Some of my classmates are pursuing their studies in the city. Others are having their studies abroad, some are still my classmates and schoolmates. Even though we are no longer together every day, the lessons we learned from each other will always stay with me. We learned how to appreciate different perspectives, support each other through tough times, or make unforgettable events out of common things. No matter where life takes us, those lessons and friendships will always be in my heart.