What I have learned about this school is that it is trying to help us out in life.  It’s trying to give us a chance, about how we should appreciate what we have and not take anything for granted.  That what I did at home I really didn’t pay attention to.  Instead I was to busy hanging out with the wrong crowd of people and not really doing what I should of been doing.  Now this place is teaching us that we have to work for what we want and we have to put effort in it to get back the results that we want.  I know that working this program is the only thing that is going to send me home and that is exactly what I am doing.  I have a better relastionship with my family.  My father and I see a lot of things that we have in common and one of them is that we love each other. 

If one was to ask me what this school meant to me the first couple of months I was here, I would have simply told you nothing. If one was to ask me now, I would say that this school has helped me out quite a bit in my time here. It has helped me learn to appreciate my family. When I was at home I never pondered the idea that one day my family might not be with me all the time, and I took them for granted. My first many months here, I used my letters I wrote on Sunday as a way to try to make my family at home feel bad for sending me here, whether it was by going on a fake quilt trip or just being verbally abusive. Whether or not writing this was hurting my family was of no concern to me. Going home was my biggest and only concern. Eventually I decided to make a change. I wanted a relationship with my family at home, and missed them very much. I took a look at the behaviors that caused me to bring myself down, and worked to change them. I have an awesome relationship with my mother now, and have been consistently working on improving it even more. This school to me is a chance for a better relationship with my family, a second chance, and a glimpse at where my life was going.

When I first came to Ivy Ridge, I thought this place was a punishment, It was a place my parents sent me to send me away because I was a bad kid. I used that as an excuse for my bad behavior when I arrived here. My first two months I sat on my butt and did nothing. I started working after orientation, and came close to level three. I mad a bad decision and I got a category 4. I blamed everyone but myself. When I lost my points I blamed the school and in my mind I believed that if I rebelled it would be in some way affecting the school. I did everything possible to get corrections. I sat on my butt for 16 months with zero points. Until recently I haven’t worked. During the last two months I have realized what this school can do for me. Ivy Ridge gave me a second chance of living the life I dreamed of as a child. It gave me another chance at having a relationship with my parents. It showed me who was really responsible for my actions at home. It was me. This place gave me the chance to learn about who I really am, it taught me that I don’t have to change who I am to satisfy the likes of others. It teaches me to live with morals and values. Ivy Ridge taught me that I have a choice in every aspect of my life. It taught me who I really am. I have shifted my beliefs and values since I have been here. When I walked through the doors of Ivy Ridge I believed in one thing, That was saving my own butt. I didn’t care how I did it, I was deceitful, I was a liar, I was selfish and self-centered. I did not care who I hurt as long as I was looking out for myself. I don’t feel dumb and worthless anymore. Through graduating Discovery and Focus, I know who I am. I am a unique, fun-loving and playful young man. I now value my family, I value honesty, wisdom and humor. I no longer only think about myself. I still have much to learn, and I am looking forward to it.