Grades 4 - 5
The choice that I made was kind, thoughtful, and caring. I would gladly do it again because it made me feel that anyone could rely on me. After all, I helped somebody and I was always there for him when he needed me the most.
When I was little, I always loved to win games and didn't care about other people's feelings. One summer, I joined this race for kids 7 and under and was sure to win. I practiced daily, trained with my brother and sister, and was confident about winning the race. It was the week before the race, and I was getting faster and faster. When it was race day, I was exercising for hours. It was only hours before the marathon and I was already there because I wanted to practice on the track. Then, it was time. I spot some players with goosebumps. The starter says, “On Your Marks”...... “Get Set”.............. “Go!” I was first but the other players were right on my tail. We ran a lot of laps and none of us were tired. On the last lap, I got beat and became second we were almost there until the first player tripped over his shoelaces. I was glad that he tripped over his laces so I could win. I knew that was not the thought to think about but I was competitive. I was so close to the finish line but something occurred to me, and I thought what a child of God would do. So I helped him up and we won first place together. I was proud of myself for what I did. He moved to Connecticut a month ago, but I’ll never forget him and his confidence in winning the race.
Hearts racing, wheels squealing, and footsteps thudding. I'm out of breath and it's waiting behind me. It’s a warm Saturday summer morning. An ocean breeze cools the blazing sun tanning my skin. I got up to check my texts when I heard the Apple ringtone. I was hoping it wasn’t my mom reminding me to do my Summer reading assignment. Thankfully, it was my best friend. She invited me over to go to Seaworld! Soon I was on my way to her house where she was waiting to greet me. Our excitement was postponed two hours before her mom was able to take us. What would we do to fill the time? It finally clicked! We should walk the dog to the park! We briskly walked the two minute stretch to reach our destination and ran across the big open space. As we enjoyed the peaceful setting, I spotted a suspicious car lurking nearby. My gut was telling me to be cautious, but my attention quickly was refocused to trampling through the grassy mud as we hurried back to the house to realize our Seaworld adventure. The suspicious car was back and right beside us. My initial gut feeling of danger returned and shivered my entire body. Seconds later, an unkept grown man rolled the window down, stared intently at the two of us, and forcefully offered to drive us to our house. Trusting my instinct, I jumped into action! I chose to take hold of the dog and pull my friend away from the car and run! I prayed to God as I was sprinting towards the door. Looking back, the unkept man was still waiting and watching. We were now safe, but it was right then and there, I promised myself to always trust my instincts.
At the start of the school year one of my classmates was sad and I haven’t got to know them.So I went over there and I tried to make them feel better, and it worked! Now, we are really good friends. The reason I did this is, because they were new and I wanted them to feel welcome. If I was him I would want to be welcome to my new class. I probably wouldn’t get another situation like that. If I ever get into another situation like this, I would try to help again. In our school we want to make everyone feel welcome. We want everyone to feel at home. You see I heard that kindness you put into the world finds a way of coming back to you, and I still believe that today.
Have you ever come face-to-face with a really hard decision? I have, too! There are a lot of challenges life can throw at you, and the best way to win them over is to focus on the reward. In this essay, I will tell you how to decide whats important. One of the choices I made changed the course of my life. It was my first year in the school Greek mythology club, and it was March, the time of year the Pegasus Mythology exam would take place. The Thursday before the exam, a had a choice: I could play games, or study for the test. I chose to study because I knew it would benefit me in the end. I pulled out my book and got to work. Friday morning, I was prepared. I got 29 out of 30 questions right, and a gold medal! I showed hard work and dedication through making this choice. I would make this choice again because it benefited me in the end. What do you think? Would you put aside fun to work hard and to be a role model? About the story In this true story, I had to make a really hard decision. I chose to make a good choice: that was to be responsible. I’ve had many really hard choices in my life, but this one changed the course of my life. I am proud to share my story whith the world, and I hope that my story can inspire others to work hard to truly earn glory. Remember that you learn from mistakes, and we all have room to improve. Always push to improve yourself, try harder, and be a leader!
Grades 6 - 8
It was just a regular afternoon, when my life completely changed. My brother and I were called to come outside by my parents, but something felt off. We sat down, and the next minute tears were running down our faces. Our parents were getting a divorce, and I didn't know how to handle it. I've come a long way since then, and I'm sure my brother, Ryder, has too. I've learned to look at it from a different perspective, and found that the divorce has helped me learn in many ways. It helped me understand people better, feel more grateful, and be more resourceful.
Sometimes it is hard to understand people, especially your parents. You never know what they are thinking, particularly when you are a little kid. When my parents divorced, I didn't look at it from their point of view, and only ever considered my opinion when I didn't know how they felt. I have now learned that sometimes I can't change how other people feel, even when I have a different opinion. I've practiced this idea with my friends, when they want to do something that I'd rather not participate in. I tell them that we shouldn't do it because of me, but now I stop to think about what I have learned. I can’t change other people's opinions, and sometimes I just have to let them have their own thoughts on things. In the end, my parents divorce has helped me better understand people and their feelings.
I have always been grateful, but I never put much thought into it. Both of my parents have jobs, and work very hard. They sacrifice many hours of their day so me and Ryder had lots of opportunities growing up. Ryder and I were exposed to many different activities, and our parents made sure we found something we were passionate about. I had taken my childhood for granted, without noticing the work that went into it. Now that my parents are separated, my mom had to move. Moving took lots of effort, time, and money. Now I realize that even though I have two houses, they are both very nice. Everything that I had at my dads house, I now have at my moms. All in all, my parent’s separation has taught me to be grateful for what I have, because some people don't have parents at all. When you need something that you don't have, you need to learn to be resourceful. Learning to work with the things that I have is the biggest thing that the split up has helped me with. When I need something at one house, I now have to call either my mom or dad instead of just going to grab it. Also, I often forget things when switching houses. These things might include clothes, electronics, toiletries, sport uniforms, or even school things. Since it is not so easy to be messy and lose track of things anymore, it has helped me to stay organized and resourceful. An example of when I needed to be resourceful is when I lost my social studies packet at school and I had to just write the facts down on a piece of paper. In conclusion, having two houses has taught me to work with what I have. To sum it all up, my parents divorce was a big event in my life. Although it seemed tragic at the moment, I have learned that not everything has to be negative. Their splitting up has helped me understand, feel grateful, and be resourceful.
It is surprising to me how many kids have anxiety at my age. Around one in eight kids suffer from anxiety around twelve years of age. There are a lot of kids. Just in my family alone, we have four family members who have suffered from anxiety at some point. This leads me to believe that DNA or genetics may play a part if you have anxiety. I have been told that my anxiety started around the age of six. Since then, I have learned several techniques that have helped me work through my anxiety. As a result of this, I have less fear and am able to enjoy life experiences.
When looking up the definition of anxiety, you will get this: A feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome. When reading this, it does not describe what I think most kids, like myself, experience when having anxiety. When I think of times when I had a lot of anxiety, words that come to mind are, freaked out, afraid of being left behind, and fear of being alone. Fortunately, over the years, I have learned to practice many different ways to help manage my anxiety.
There are many different types of anxiety, with the most common being generalized anxiety disorder. After going to my pediatrician, I was told I suffered from mild anxiety. This condition does not require medication and, fortunately, can be handled easily with the right tools. Some ways I help calm myself are by listening to meditation, taking a walk, or listening to music. These ways help tremendously and don't require medication. One experience I have had where my anxiety was hard to deal with was a few summers ago. I was going to a beach summer camp and got very freaked out around me, leaving my parents for three hours. I ended up reacting so drastically that my parents decided to take me home to debrief. Once home, calming down was much easier and happened fast. What I experienced that day was called an anxiety attack. These attacks are very common with adults but may start at younger ages, like in my case. From these experiences, I have gained so much knowledge. From using tools such as meditation, I enjoy life experiences more and become more independent. The fear never completely goes away, but I am now ready for it when it comes.
Fear is common and sometimes gets in the way of people having exciting life experiences. For me, that was the case most of the time when I faced something slightly challenging. Sleeping over with friends was something that I was unable to do because of my anxiety in the past. My first sleepover was eight to nine months ago. This was very fun and I did not panic. Normally I would say no and stay home. But that day I was able to see the fun and overlook the fear. Before leaving my house, I was able to calm myself and tell myself that if I do get worried I will breathe and stay calm. What I have learned is that fear will always be with us, but I'm trying to create new habits in dealing with my fears.
Anxiety can be something that is helpful during certain dangerous situations in our life, like being attacked by a wild animal. But it can also affect our personal life and prevent us from taking calculated risks. With certain tools, one can learn to deal with anxiety.
Moving to a different state is an enormous change and is extremely difficult to say goodbye to friends. Our family moved to sunny San Diego from gloomy Seattle when I was eight years old, and though difficult, it changed my life. I was immediately affected, but over time I learned incredible lessons, such as trust, flexibility and courage.
Trust is a hard trait for many. When I lived in Seattle I surrounded myself with the same group so I would not have to trust new people. The rest of my second grade school year I experienced paralyzing anxiety worrying my parents would not pick me up. Moving states forced me to step out of my comfort zone and deal with my trust issues. I realized the importance of trusting others, as every day my parents did come to pick me up. I also learned to trust myself, with tasks I wasn't so sure of before, such as volleyball. I was concerned I wouldn't be as good as everyone, so I faced my fear, started to play and trusted I could do it. To this day my ability to trust is getting stronger with myself and others around me. I was never very flexible. I always relied on things staying the same. Though as soon as I moved here there were so many new things to adjust to and be flexible with. Living in a new state and in a new house was very challenging, especially considering I had lived in Seattle for eight years and almost everything had stayed the same. When I changed schools for the first time it was different and I had to be flexible with it. Especially joining in the middle of the year I had to catch up to all the work that the students had started. After a little bit of non stop work I was caught up and already felt like I had been there forever. I was a shy kid. My sister was always the talkative one. Therefore, I made it my goal to have more confidence when we made the big move. I first walked into the brand new school and felt so overwhelmed looking at all the kids I didn't know. I was scared they wouldn't like me, but I reminded myself to be confident. Since then, I have moved to 4 schools while living in 4 homes. With each new school my confidence grew as I walked into the new classroom. This year I tried a lot of new things like a new volleyball club, a new Hebrew school, and even a new school, but I got through them all with confidence. Learning lessons is part of life. If I could hold on to each and everything the world has taught me I would be so wise, but I am very thankful for the lessons I have learned and the times that taught me them. Especially moving to a different state I learned so much like trust, flexibility and courage.
There are many people who come through our lives and inspire us by the way they live. My grandmother Sally was one of these inspirations for me. She lived her life with a loving heart for all people and was always willing to put others before herself. Sally helped me develop compassion and a need to help others.
My grandmother suffered from cancer for many years and passed away when I was five years old. I remember the feeling of loss, losing both a mentor and someone you love is overwhelming, Sally had a heart for the people that helped her during her hardest moments and her best accomplishments. When I went to the hospital to visit her I always felt a need to help people that were sick, in order to stay close to her. Seeing my grandmother sick inspired me to become a doctor one day. I started to realize that I could make a major impact on many people's lives.
I have learned to show my compassion towards others that need help. For example, I have made cards for sick children in hospitals. I try to alleviate their suffering and offer support as they face daily challenges .The compassion I learned from Sally has taught me that everyone is going through something different and we must help each other with open hearts. I believe that becoming a doctor could make a difference in the world and many individuals' lives. Meryl Streep states, “The nature of humanity, its essence, is to feel another's pain as one's own, and to act to take that pain away. There is a nobility in compassion, a beauty in empathy, a grace in forgiveness.” This quote shows how I feel about showing my love for others. Because of this, I work hard in school so that I can become a doctor one day and live my dream to help others.