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Plunkitt of Tammany Hall

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Plunkitt of Tammany Hall
Yung Joc
Instructor Laura Daubenmire
English III
September 14, 2012

An Essay on Summer School
I can blame no one but myself for my need to attend summer school for this year. However: I would like to blame it on my Spanish teacher, my mother, my siblings, my dog ate the homework, anyone but Christopher L. Martin. Summer school was not in my game plan the first day of school last year. I entered my school, Lake Catholic HS, with the calm surety and purpose of a bona-fide tenth grader, I’ve been here before. My anxiety level was low but my expectations for the future year were high. There are times when I think that I remain overwhelmed in some way by the enormity of the campus; the numerous classrooms, by the tough rules that are actually enforced. Transitioning from a small Catholic parish school boasting an 8th grade graduating class of 34 students to a large campus of hundreds of students present a challenge to “fit-in” that I had never experienced.
I began the August, 2011 school year anticipating the spectacular athletic and academically successful year ahead of me. I never thought that such a hopeful day would end in humiliation a years end. You might ask what caused this major shift in my universe. I failed both semesters of Spanish II and had to retake the entire year during summer school at St. Robert Williams in Euclid, OH.
I will be honest and admit that prior to formulating thoughts to jot down in preparation of writing this personal essay; I thought the most devastating result of having to attend summer school was that I was automatically ineligible to participate in football. I was not allowed to attend practice or to join the team for the annual trip to the Edinburgh campus where players honed their skills and bonded as men. I now realize and accept the fact that my behavior placed a heavy financial burden on my family’s finances. Summer school is not cheap! .
The cost of attending summer school hit our budget so hard that my

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