Imagine me at the start of elementary school. A five-year-old wallflower. Somehow, in a class of 12 kids, I managed to isolate myself. I was always alone in a crowded room. I watched, I listened, I got to know my peers, on a deeper level than just their names, but to them I was only “Rachel,” an enigma.
As time went on, I watched my classmates form friendships. They talked at lunch, played at recess, and hung out after school. And where was I in this idyllic portrait of an elementary school society? Removed from it; the eternal spectator. Soon I came to realize the name of the force that was holding me back: shyness. Once it had a name, I was able to work on it. I got to a point where I had some friends and was comfortable around the other kids at school. Had I conquered my shyness? No. But I was closer than ever before. It felt like I had climbed a mountain to get to where I was. Then middle school came, with 135 new faces, then high school with 360 more, and each time it felt like I had reached the summit only to find an entire mountain range lying ahead of me.
…show more content…
It’s huge, and also, shyness peaks around late middle school. Among seventh and eighth graders, kids who are soon to start high school, 54% label themselves as shy. This is problematic because it means that over half of North’s incoming freshmen have “the tendency to be tense, worried, and awkward during social interactions with strangers.” It’s doubtless that this carries on into sophomore year for many of us. We can’t enjoy school to its fullest if we constantly feel uncomfortable surrounded by hundreds of new
On April 08, 2016, I arrived to my designated school, Cypress Point Elementary School. Upon my arrival to Cypress Point Elementary School, I went to the main office of the school to see the assistant principal, Mrs. Dewitt. She could not make it to school on time, due to her having car troubles. The secretary told me she would notify her that I arrived and to set me. As I waited for Mrs. Dewitt, I noticed quite a few students having to call home due to violating the school dress code. Mainly it was more girls violating the dress code than boys. I am assuming from what I saw, the children only wore clothes that they saw the adults wore, or whatever their parents picked out for them. During this time, I noticed a little Asian or Hispanic boy being brought to school but he was supposed to be at home due to suspension. The secretary asked him “Why are you at school?” This young man told the secretary that his mother brought him to school. The secretary informed him that he needs to call his mother so that she
I was born on October 4th, 2000. I am Mexican American because I was born here in Dallas Texas but my parents were born in Mexico. According to my parents I was a small, healthy baby who weighed 6 pounds. When I was little my dad said that he would always video tape me. One time according to my dad, I was crawling around the floor and I put something in my mouth, then he asked me to give it to him and it was a fly! I get so embarrassed when he tells that story.
In the first few years, I was reserved. Because I only hung out with the people I knew and rarely stepped out of my comfort zone back in Florida, I acted the same way moving to Georgia. Making friends wasn’t important to me because I was used to being isolated. Going on to high school, I came to a realization that I needed to step out into the world. I knew that I couldn’t always depend on myself. I needed to make connections and branch out. I took my chances and joined clubs to help not only myself but others as well. High school was also the transition of my life where I started focusing on my grades. I started working harder and as the curriculum started to get more difficult, it only motivated me to be more diligent.
Since I was young, there was a communication barrier that existed between me and the outside world. My shyness led me to many downfalls on my academic side. Not understanding a topic would mean that I would never be able to clarify any questions that were on my mind. Until around 6th grade, I always considered myself introverted; I had the inability to blend in with strangers, peers and teachers.
It was not until freshman year in college that I realized how problematic my shyness and introversion had become. At Monmouth University, I was fortunate enough to be accepted in the Educational Opportunity Fund (EOF) program along with 39 other students. As a part of this program, I attended a five-week seminar during the summer. Not only was I receiving six credits, but I was also engaging in activities to sharpen my leadership and social skills. After the
For two years I begrudgingly walked into Fuller Middle School, sometimes staying home because I had a ‘headache,’ my home, as well as other places I was always resentful, pissed off, quick tempered, and just downright rude. I was a typical middle schooler going through family changes. I wore band tees and ripped skinny jeans to every event my mother would let me--including to school, I constantly violated dress coded until I found my way around authority and the policy, listened to heavy metal, colored my eyeliner on until I looked like a panda, and generally tried to make myself appear unapproachable. That’s when my mom began dating the man who I would eventually call my first lifeline.
I went to the same elementary school from kindergarten to 5th grade, Suncoast Elementary School. My brother, my sister and I all went to Suncoast Elementary school from k-5th. My sister is still in elementary school, but once she gets out she’ll either go to Gulf Coast or Powell. My brother, my sister and I all had the same kindergarten class room but always had a different teacher. At that school my brother would hang out with the people in the office often so when I got there they all knew my name and was extra nice to me. This is only about my experience from kindergarten through 3rd grade.
I was a first grader at Esqueda Elementary School. I had a mean teacher that never let you go to the restroom no matter how many times you asked. Would call your parents if you didn't finish your homework. I would get distracted easily and would never comprehend what I read and when she would ask me a question about a page we read and I would never give her an answer because I was not paying attention. Because of that, she flunked me and while everyone else got moved up to 2nd grade. I was still stuck in the first grade and had to meet new friends. I did not repeat the same grade with the same teacher, I had a nicer teacher and she did not flunk me. I did not go to the second grade there. I was transferred into a different school which is Eisenhower
I wait in the lobby of Edinboro Elementary for my younger brother, surrounded by vibrant colors, and drawings of what the children who attend there want to be when they grow up, coupled with adorably misspelled descriptions underneath. I walk over to glance at one, depicted is a squiggly-drawn superhero and underneath it reads“Wen i grow up i want to be A superhero.” It reminds me of how innocent and simple life is when you are young. Before I managed to read another poster I notice my brother running down the hall in his blue, Pokémon shirt, with a smile that spans from ear to ear, which could only mean that it is Friday. When we entered my car I ask him the usual, “How was your day? Did you have fun at school today? Did you learn anything
The school year approached its end. Another summer to spend alone by myself. The cycle had been repeating since I was in grade school. Sadness choked me as I returned home and shut my door. Every year, the resolution was the same: I would try to make friends next year; however, every year, I felt myself falling back down into the same trap. By the time high school began, I no longer felt the numb sensation of sadness or the flow of tears as the final day of May became the last day I talked with my “friends.” I no longer expected to make any friends, or, more accurately, I no longer expected to be able to make any friends. The sheer possibility of befriending an individual appeared to me as foreign as speaking in latin. When I walked into school, what should have been a site of chatter, opportunity, and growth appeared to me as a form of imprisonment and torture; however, unbeknownst to me, I did have friends; something of which I did not recognize until years passed by. I grown attached to certain conversations; there were times where I felt the need to initiate a conversation rather than waiting for someone else to make one. It was not until one of my friends told me,”We’re your friends aren’t we?” when I realized I was not longer
For four long years I felt as if my high school was in a different world in of itself. I had spent that time interacting with an extensive amount of groups, or “cliques”, and getting to know what they do. Through my experiences, I had begun to realize what made this “subculture” high school of sorts run like it did. High school is an incredibly dynamic time for people, and I had changed as a person dramatically from my freshman to senior year. Like many, my freshman year was quite awkward, as remnants of my middle school self remained with me. As time went on, how, I talked to more people and grew out of my passive and shy personality. This did not just randomly happen without reason though. I began to learn and realize who I was and whom I enjoyed talking to in school, which explained why I spent so much time socializing with multiple kinds and groups of people. Everyone’s concept of “normal” was different, and high school was where I learned that lesson and will never forget.
A lot of people think education is just something you get in school, but in reality education comes from different places and people not just school and teachers. For example, way before I started school I was already being educated by my parents, they taught me how to eat, behave, use the bathroom, talk, and a lot of other things that help out in life.
Throughout the years you would never figure out how a kid would end up growing up to be. You don’t know if they are going to be good or bad but you always hope for the best, you never want them to get bullied or feel any pain. All you want is happiness for your kid and no worries. Nobody’s life is a fairytale and many people from reality shows lifes aren’t the real ones they put up with on a daily basis a but let me take you through my journey.
Starting elementary school, I was a very shy child which worked against me when it came to our class readings. Each student took turns reading sections of the stories our teacher provided, with me being so shy I often read quietly. I recall many times when my teacher asked me to speak up so others could understand what I was reading which most time I was embarrassed but ultimately led me to leaving my comfort zone. As middle school approached I felt scared but also prepared. My brother told me horror stories about his middle school experience which included doing speeches and reading papers he wrote aloud to his class. That frightened me enough to spend most of my summer preparing. I read five books that I can recall that summer and I also practiced my brother’s old vocabulary words. I went into the school year
It is a pleasure to be able to attend one of your classes, UNIV 190, during the fall of 2015. First, to introduce myself, I am a freshman at Clarkson University named Ashanti Larisse Fleming. I was born to two African-American parents named Arthur Fleming and Kimberly Dowdell 17 years ago on December 22, 1997, in Hartford, Connecticut. I have spent the majority of my life living in Connecticut, and the experiences I have there is what influenced and shaped my personality, behavior, and other aspects of myself into what it is today.