Bullying

In Third Grade I viewed bullying at recess.  Out of the corner of my eye I saw a group of 6th Grade boys pushing another boy around. I overheard them saying "You owe me big now".  My first thought was that they were just playing.  Then I realized that the boy must have been feeling hurt and scared.  I also heard them saying "You better get it to me tomorrow". Then I saw them shove him on the ground and heard them say "Tomorrow".  The boy then responded with "Okay, okay".  Then the boys walked off.  After the incident, I just ran off to go play football. 

If this situation were to happen today, when I realized the 6th Grade boys were bullying, I would immediately go to get a teacher to help.  A teacher could have stopped the bullying and made sure that the bullying didn't happen again.  I realize now that another thing I could have done differently was after the incident I could have gone up to the boy and asked if he needed any assistance.  I also could have asked what the bullying was all about.  Maybe the best thing that I could have done was ask him to play basketball or soccer with me. 

 I have two new possible goals around bullying now that I am a 6th Grade and a student at ISKL. The first is that I will not tease people, even though my intent is for it to be a joke, as it might hurt people.  The second is to develop my own self esteem so that if anyone attempts to bully me I won't be too affected by it.

When I used courage

What is courage to me?
Courage  is bravery and the will to overcome your fears; to be afraid and still do it. To do something that does not feel good or makes you afraid takes courage.  Courage means to be mentally strong and confident in times of distress or sticking to your beliefs when others disagree. Taking a risk to help others can be another form of courage. I used courage at the Advanced Band concert at the Royal Chulan Hotel.

Facing my fear
The concert was at the Royal Chulan Hotel, a 5 star hotel,. playing in front of 500 to 600 people.  I was so nervous because it was my first concert playing my trumpet.  I had only started playing the trumpet three months prior.  I was afraid that I would mess up really bad at the Advanced Band Christmas concert. we were playing in the ballroom.  I felt like I was going to die, but I had to do it. I felt like lightheaded and like I was about to vomit.  My mouth was so dry that I couldn't get my lips to make a noise.

How did I overcome my fear?
 I thought about the band really needing me and that  thought helped me get up on stage in front of all those people.  When we started playing, I forgot all my fears.  I played really well and did my part to help the band.  I felt like the band raised Christmas spirit in the room and gave people something to listen to by playing songs like "Christmas in a Kennel" and "Greensleeves."

What did I learn?
I learned that the more courage you have the better your results will be.  You will never need courage if you don't take risks.  I also learned that the less you think about your fears, the less scared you will be.  I felt really good about my performance and my experiance led me to try out for the middle school musical.