The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXX

Ikra Abbasi
Kathleen McGonigle, Teacher
Thomas A. Edison School
My definition of courage is having the heart to admit something you did wrong
and learn from that mistake without anyone calling you out. In my life, there have
been many times when I admitted I was wrong, and accepting that I was wrong
wasn’t always easy, especially during those times where I thought I was 100% right.
There’s a quote that I love by Benjamin Franklin. He says, “How few there are
who have courage enough to own their faults, resolutions enough to mend them.”
My friend Chaneya and I were outside on the school playground talking about
random things, and I brought up grades. As a fourth grader, I was pretty
arrogant and thought of myself as the smartest in my whole grade. My friend
Chaneya on the other hand was more quiet and shy, and never thought of
herself as a big shot the way I did.
I asked Chaneya, “What did you get in math class?”
She said, “Oh, um, I think a one or two. I don’t remember.”
“That honestly sucks. I got a four in each section. I guess not all of us can be
like me.” I said that, and for some reason, at that time, I felt really proud.
She started walking away sad, head drooping with each step. I thought what
I said was cool, and thought being mean was the way of getting noticed by
others. I didn’t have a lot of friends then.
I saw her crying at lunch, but couldn’t care less at the time. I was laughing
with classmates. After lunch, I started getting this rude awakening again
from my stomach.
I went to the bathroom because that was where I could actually think. I said to
myself, “What’s going on? Why am I nervous, or is it something else?” I stuck
my hand out, and I tried to keep it still, but it was shaking. It was normal for me
to react this way when I did something awfully wrong. I knew what I had to do.
I went straight back to my class, hesitated for a moment, but realized this was
the only way for me to repair things and learn a lesson. I called the teacher and
asked to speak in the hallway.
My teacher said, “What’s going on, Ikra?”
“I did something horribly wrong and didn’t realize until I took some time for
myself and thought about it,” I answered.
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