Process Essay
Sample Essay
As you read the essay, ask yourself what the writers main point is and whether the writer has explained clearly how her experience changed her.
Life Lessons from School
I hated school! Now, however, when I feel discouraged by my problems, I overcome this by trying to remember my years at boarding school. Those years were challenging and full of problems, but still, I gained a lot from them. After I graduated from elementary school, I left my family and went to live at a boarding school because my hometown was very far from my middle school. I stayed there until I graduated from high school. It was very difficult for me at first, but eventually I learned how to make true friends, obey rules, and return my parents love. Even though these things were not easy to learn, the lessons from my boarding school experience made me an independent woman and a productive member of society.
Getting along with the other students and making friends was the first big challenge of boarding school. There were many different kinds of people at my school. I had six or seven roommates of different ages from 12 years old to 18. They all had different hobbies and habits. Getting along with so many girls required a lot of patience and thoughtfulness. Therefore, at first, we used to have quarrels. However, we had to face one another every day, so we tried to understand each other. Soon we realized that we had many of the same problems, such as being homesick, disliking certain classes, and feeling rebellious. We learned to find each others good points. Slowly, my roommates became like sisters to me. Even now, the friends I made there are my treasures.
As a new student, I was famous because I did not like to obey the rules of the school. I was not used to following a lot of rules because when I had lived at home, my parents usually left me alone to do what I wanted. At school, however, I had to obey many rules, such as going to bed on time, doing homework, and cleaning up. The older students at our school helped me to see the importance of these rules because that was the tradition at our school: The older students took care of the younger students. The seniors were strict with me when I did something wrong. At first, when they corrected me, I did not obey them. However, I slowly learned that the rules of the school helped me to live easily and well. Going to bed on time meant that I got enough sleep. Doing my homework helped me do well in my studies. Cleaning up made the environment look prettier and also gave me pride in my school. Later, when I had to take care of junior students, I again learned the importance of following rules. I had a difficult time at first because some people did not want to listen to me and did not follow my orders. As time went on, my juniors learned just as I did, and they became my friends. Even now, we keep in touch and exchange letters.
While staying at school, I learned to be thankful for my parents. The first few years, I got homesick and sometimes cried in bed. I worried that I would never live with my family again. In addition, many problems of the dorm got me down. At those times, the people who encouraged me to carry on were my parents. Whenever I called them, they gave me confidence because they seemed not to be worried about me. They always said that I should be happy about my situation because only a person who has faced hard times can understand others feelings. According to my sister, my mother sometimes cried when she was alone because she missed me a lot, but with me, she always tried to be strong. I felt how much they loved and believed in me, so I stopped being unhappy about my situation. Instead, I started thinking about how I could repay their kindness. I decided to try to make their lives happier by doing things they could be proud of.
Slowly, the place I hated became my second home, and it became a memorable stage in my learning about life. I spent the most important period of my life there, growing from a girl to a woman. There, surrounded by other girls, I could build a strong foundation for my life. People who I had a hard time getting along with became my most precious friends. Obeying rules made me a stronger, happier person and a better member of our school community. In addition, I learned how my parents support contributed to my success and happiness. Whenever I think of these memories, I feel the power and courage to struggle forward through hard times. If we can learn from hard times, they are a rare treasure.
Adapted from an essay by Sayaka Kondo, published in Writers at Work
Answer these questions:
1. What is the writers opinion about the topic?
2. What sentence in the introduction gives you the topic and the opinion?
3. What three things did the writer learn from her experience?
