Speaker 1
I was a really good student at high school. I always used to do my homework on time, I always got good grades, and I never used to talk in class. But I had a lot of friends, too, so I suppose I wasn't too horrible! I was like that all the way to college, and then… well, something happened. I suppose I was just tired of studying so hard for so many years. I spent my first year of college relaxing, not doing any work. Fortunately, one of my favourite professors told me to work harder otherwise I would fail. So after that I became a good student again.
Speaker 2
I've never been a great student, but I'm trying really hard to do better now. I used to just sit in class and think about football and computer games – I didn't use to pay attention to the teacher at all! I was one of those people who never knew what page of the book we were on, you know. But one of my teachers told me that if I went on like that I'd never finish school, and then what? No job, no money. She also helped me find out what subjects I'm good at – I didn't use to think I was good at anything, but now I'm really interested in maths and computer science. So thanks, Mrs Wilkins! You were a great help.
Speaker 3
When I was young, most people thought that girls didn't need a real education. I was taught the basics, of course, but a lot of my education was about things like how to be a good housewife, or how to be polite. But I loved literature and writing stories, and I used to dream of going to university and becoming a professional writer. I used to write constantly – stories, poems, and I wrote in my diary every day. It was my father who realized that I wanted to do something different. He read my stories and poems, and said it would be good for me to do more studying. That changed my life, and I would never have gone to university and had a career without his support.
Speaker 4
All through my primary school days I used to think there was something wrong with me. It took me a very long time to learn to read. I was very bad at maths, and the only way I could remember facts was when somebody else read them to me. I really used to hate school. Then, when I was about 12, one of my teachers realized I was dyslexic. I really could not see words or numbers the way they were printed on the page. I was given a lot of help after that, and in the end I did very well at school. I used to think I was stupid and would never get anywhere, but now I own a design business and things are going really well.
Speaker 5
I used to be late for school all the time. We only have one bathroom at home, and I have five brothers and sisters, so it's not easy getting ready in the morning. The teachers were always angry with me, so I decided to do something about it. I started getting up before everyone else in the house and getting myself ready. It's made things much easier, and now I don't get into trouble at school like I used to.