When most kids are around the age of five, they start getting excited about going to school. They tell everyone who their teacher is going to be and who is going to be in their class. Even after school starts, they are thrilled to talk about the things they did in class that day, or the project they made in arts and crafts. I, on the other hand, was not excited to go to school. I hated being away from my parents, and had never had an experience where I had to be away from them until school started. Because of this I was very worried.

As a first-grader, I was very shy. I didn't have many friends and I never wanted to do anything alone. I was so scared to go to school every day because I didn’t want to be embarrassed, or talk to people I didn’t know. I would make my dad walk me down to school every day from the high school to elementary school. He would always tell me “It's going to be ok, school is so fun!” I never believed him because school was so scary. 

I used to go talk to the counselor and she would always ask me, “what's wrong, why are you crying?” I would tell her I didn't know, or I would just make up reasons. One day she asked me what was wrong and I made up the excuse that I didn't like who I stood by in line, and that was the reason I was crying all the time. That story definitely wasn't true, but it got me out of talking. I was so embarrassed; everyone else liked school, and I thought it was just me. One day the principal even came and talked to me because he saw that I was sitting alone at lunch. He knelt down next to me, gave me his biggest smile, and asked me what was wrong. I just responded with “nothing” because I was nervous to talk to anyone unfamiliar.

I only had one friend, and she was the only person I ever talked to. I met her before school started, so I already knew her going into it. I couldn't make any other friends because I never spoke to anyone, so I relied on her for everything: sitting with me at lunch, playing with me at recess, being my partner during class activities, and even just walking by me in the hallways. I was a totally different person around her, especially when I wasn't at school. At school, I wouldn’t talk much, but during playdates, I would talk nonstop. It was like I was two-sided.

Then one day near the end of the school year I was outside at recess. The wind was blowing, the sun was shining, and it was nice and warm. I was standing on the hill next to the big red playground where I played every day with my friend. I could see the whole playground area from where I was standing, and I could hear playful screams from the game of “don't touch the ground” behind me. This was the game that was played everyday at recess. There would always be fight about who had to be the first tager, and who got to be on the playground first. Everyone would play. The game would get so big that teachers would have to supervise it. 

I looked out over the playground and saw all my classmates having fun and playing together. The playground behind me didn’t have many kids, but the red playground was full of kids playing their favorite game.  I could hear the cars rushing by the road that was located next to the school, and all the enjoyment in the kids voices. It was then that I realized I should love being seven years old! I decided that I was going to love school too! I know that is a little weird for a first grader to have an epiphany like that, but it happened and it changed my perspective. 

From that experience, I realized that school is a great place to learn and hang out with friends. I feel like a completely different person now; I am more outgoing and way more sociable. Before I was so shy and I didn’t realize that what my dad had told me about school was true. Now I realize that it was genuine. I started to talk to more people, and make friends. Now I look forward to coming to school every day!