Jakki Harvey
Success Story
By: Jakki Harvey
Brookneal Class
Teacher – Cindy Godsey
Over a year ago, my family moved from North Carolina into my late grandmother's home in Virginia. Despite spending a portion of my childhood in grandma's house, it felt like I was having a fresh start. There was a lot to get done, and one of my goals was to get my GED.
It wasn't easy at first. Anxiety was a major obstacle for me. There were times in class where I felt so overwhelmed, whether from a problem I couldn't understand or my own anxious thoughts, that I would cry during class. Sometimes I even had to go home. On one bad day where I had to go home, I was surprised that my classmates immediately came over to comfort me. They told me how smart I was, and that they wanted me to keep coming back. On other days, when I was uncertain of my abilities, my teacher would encourage me to try taking a practice test...and before I knew it, I would keep surprising myself by passing! I was truly lucky to be in such a supportive class.
I had a few tactics that helped me with studying. I dedicated some time working at home. I studied online or in workbooks, took notes and read them over, and practiced something new on different days. I also made sure I really understood the basics of a subject. To tell you the truth, however, I wasn't always consistent with studying. Sometimes I pushed things off until the last minute, or not study as much as I could've. If you make some mistakes, please don't be hard on yourself! Instead, try to make up for it next time.
The official tests never failed to intimidate me. Reading the questions felt daunting, and I would leave some answers blank. While I was confident with some of my answers, sometimes all I could do was answer as many questions as possible. I believe that refreshing my memory beforehand and relying on the basics really helped me out in the end.
I will always be thankful to my family, teacher, and classmates. Their support and belief in me improved my confidence. You may not feel your confidence improve, but it's happening when someone believes in you, and when you try. It's okay to be afraid, it's okay to make mistakes. Just make sure you never quit entirely and keep moving forward. Good luck!