The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXXIII

EIDAN GONZALEZ
AARON COHEN, TEACHER
Blackstone Elementary School, Boston, MA
In 2017, something really bad happened. I almost drowned. I was really
scared because it happened during the day. My family and I went to spend
time in the Dominican Republic, and I was really happy that I was going to
the river. We were having a picnic, and when it was time to go in the water,
I was hesitant. We were at a river that seemed as big as the Blackstone School
in the South End.
I was anxious, but I really wanted to learn how to swim. When I got in the
water, I slowly began to sink down. When I started sinking, I was making the
water splash. I was really scared. My family was hysterically looking for me
everywhere. My family was running around in panic. My dad went into the
water looking for me.
“I WAS ANXIOUS, BUT
I REALLY WANTED TO
LEARN HOW TO SWIM.”
My siblings were running around screaming my name, looking for me
everywhere. But then I saw a shadow. I slowly saw that shadow coming to me.
The shadow jumped in the water and took me to the ground. I slowly opened
my eyes, and it was my dad. I was really happy that he found me. When my
dad took me out of the water, my heart was pumping very fast.
That was the day I almost drowned. I was panicking.
Even though I didn’t know how to swim back then, now I do. But it wasn’t easy.
First, I had to stop being scared. One day I told my dad, “Can we go to the
pool so you can teach me how to swim?”
“I will take you to the pool, but you have to stop being so scared,” my dad said.
When you’re in a pool or a river, get your dad or mom in case something
happens to you.
THE COURAGE OF CHILDREN: BOSTON AND BEYOND
VOLUME XXXIII
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