The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXXIII

MARYAM BANKA
SARA COYLE, TEACHER
Beverly Hills Academy, Beverly Hills, MI
Courage. Just two syllables bring so many thoughts to not only the mind, but
also the heart. Respect. Confidence. Values. Not only is courage a great quality,
but it’s an essential part of life. If Susan B. Anthony hadn’t said anything, would
ladies be able to vote? People of many colors wouldn’t have their rights if it
wasn’t for Martin Luther King Jr. These aren’t the only people who stood up
for humankind. There are many who have shown courage, yet most of the
world doesn’t even know their names. If the world truly understood the
importance of courage, MLK Day would be every day, since courage happens
every day. Opportunities to show acts of courage come and go, but what
matters is whether you take them or not.
I’m a shy person. I may not like it, but it’s true. I’m quiet, and it’s hard for me
to speak up. I’m also known to get a lot of things right. I’m known to know
things the rest of the class doesn’t know. When a shy and somewhat smart
person says “I don’t know” for the first time when they are young, it’s not the
biggest experience, but it helps them grow.
“SOMETIMES, IT’S OKAY
NOT TO KNOW.”
Courage can be big or small. A lot or little. To different people, courage can be
saying simple words in front of twenty-five people, or a ten-paragraph essay
broadcasting to eight billion people. In the end, courage is all for the greater
good, but you have to know when to take it. Some people sit in front of the
mirror all day, practicing what they should have said in the past, and when the
time comes, they’re sitting ducks. Be ready for when courage finds you!
One day, my class and I were learning math. We had the same teacher for every
subject, so we just took our math books out of our desks. There was a problem
I was stuck on. I stared at the page, waiting for the answer to come to me. I
decided to finish the rest of the page first. Soon, I had finished all the problems
except that one. I worried that it was impossible, so I waited for the rest of class
to finish and prayed the teacher wouldn’t call on me.
The class finished quicker than I expected, and we had already started sharing
answers. Then, the question came. It felt as if the classroom was holding their
breath. Then, the teacher called on me.
I had no idea what to say, so I just said, “I… I don’t know.”
The teacher raised her eyebrows, then said, “Well, who knows the answer?”
I was so relieved to see that no one knew that I felt like crying. The
embarrassment was over! But now, I’m glad that I went through this experience
at a young age. This is true because you need to be able to face experiences like
this to help you grow. Otherwise, I’d be in sixth grade feeling bad about not
knowing something. Sometimes, it’s okay not to know.
THE COURAGE OF CHILDREN: BOSTON AND BEYOND
VOLUME XXXIII
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