Josh's Success Story
Josh tells his own story: “February 2008 marked a year since I became a student at the Achievement Academy. When I first started at the Achievement Academy I was 16 and my reading was at a sixth grade level. The last grade I passed in public school was eighth. Reading was the first subject test I needed to work on. I had to bring my level up to at least a tenth grade to even be able to begin studying for GED tests. So, I read and read more! I read many books: at night, at school, and in my spare time to practice reading and getting the main idea. First I found myself beginning to read at a faster pace. Then I found myself answering questions about a passage correctly. Even though it took me almost a year of very hard work, I did not give up. I passed the GED Reading test and last month I tested at a 12.7 grade reading level. In other words I now read at college level!
I am proud of myself; I worked hard to get to the appropriate reading level so I can move forward in life
Next I had to study for the writing and grammar test; I thought that it was much easier than reading those long passages and plays! I didn’t struggle with that subject as much because of all the reading practice I’d had. I think it’s a great idea to start out with reading if you’re trying to pass both the reading and writing test. It took me a while but I still didn’t give up.
The next test was Social Studies, which was my least liked subject. I found Social Studies very confusing. I had to learn about all the wars and the people who made the world the way it is today. It took me half a year to get ready to take that test at Durham Tech. After I took it I found out I’d failed. So once again, I studied at night and in my spare time. I went back to retake the test and then waited for my results. I was proud when I got my grade and found that I had passed it with a very high score! I was so relieved and ready to make another step forward into my future. I moved right into Science and worked very hard to pass that.
Now I’m working on math, my last test and another of my least favorite subjects. While I was in the Durham Public Schools I could never, ever understand math. I struggled and struggled in math. I needed help but couldn’t get it. Now that I have an individual tutor, I have come a very long way. There have been plenty of times Ms. Sandee and I have argued about getting the feel on how to do different math problems and knowing how to get the formulas to solve the problems. Every day I hope and pray that I pass the math test when I’m ready to take it. I don’t want to have to take it a second time.
I’m sure I’ll be finishing school soon. From my point of view WORKING HARD AND HAVING HOPE IN MYSELF AND NOT GIVING UP IS THE KEY TO MY SUCCESS!”
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