When I was in 6th grade I didn’t realize how much of a change middle school would be. During summer break before going to 7th I was a really nervous and shy person because I was still in my shell and didn’t talk that much. So I figured it would be a challenge hatching that shell that I was still in.

The first day of school I was really nervous. In fact everybody was nervous; it was so quiet that I could almost hear my heart beating. That didn’t last long.

In the middle of the school year we had to do a lot of talking and meet new people, so I had no choice but to follow that. I remember when I entered the class everyone just stared at me like they found a wanted thief for a reward of billions. I was very confused and nervous, of course.

I knew I was gonna have to deal with this for the rest of the year unless I learned to face my fears.

One day we had a presentation on the government and I’m not going to lie. I was a bit nervous to present it to my classroom. I had to speak out loud and tell people what I learned and fun facts about the branch my group and I picked. When they called me up to the front of the classroom I grabbed my iPad and put it on a table. As I started speaking I noticed that I wasn’t using a lot of “um”s which made me feel good. But what really motivated me that day was when one of my classmates laughed at me, so I tried even harder. I was really proud of myself. From that day on, my confidence level was boosted to the point where I talk too much sometimes.

This is an obstacle that I’ve overcome in my life. The good thing about it is that I will never be that nervous again and lack confidence. The other good thing is that middle school helped me overcome this fear which I thank middle school for because I won’t have to suffer again.

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