My First Day of School

My mom casually mentioned to me in the spring of my third-grade homeschool year that I would attend public school. I didn’t think much of it for the rest of the school year and late into the summer. I never thought that I would actually go to public school. But suddenly, in late August, my mom took me to buy school supplies. She showed me the list of things we needed to get before the first day of school at Fellows. I was taken aback. I now realized that going to public school was a reality. I wasn’t mentally prepared at all. The rest of the summer flew by as my fears about beginning life at a new school grew. 

I was terrified by the time the first day of school came around. I knew there would be so many people, and I had no idea what they would be like. The unknown scared me. What would they think of me? Would they like me? Can I make friends? These questions were racing through my mind as I was in the car with my mom. I finally arrived, and I was overwhelmed. There were so many rules and places I had to go right away. Teachers and kids were yelling, and I didn’t know what to do. I was terrified. 

But then, all of a sudden, I had a change of thought. I decided that I was going to attack the day with confidence. People would like me for who I am, and I would not struggle to make friends. I got to class and sat next to a kid named Kevin Wang. Instead of being quiet and conceited like I normally would be, I started talking to him. We hit it off immediately. We talked and talked all class and the days to follow. We quickly became good friends, and he introduced me to his friends, who soon became my friends. To this day, we are still very close and talk to each other daily. 

That sudden change of attitude truly changed my life. If I remained scared and refused to try to talk to people, I would never have made friends with Kevin. And he never would have introduced me to others. I never would have known so many of the people I know today. Knowing these people have had such a profound impact on my life that I never could have foreseen. They have continuously positively influenced me in many ways. Reflecting, I see how facing my fears improved my life. This lesson I learned I have tried to apply to many other facets of my life as well, and just like on that first day, it has impacted my life in countless positive ways. Having courage that day was one of the best decisions I could have ever made, and I will continue to have courage for the rest of my life, knowing that it could only lead to good.