The Courage of Children: Boston and Beyond XXXIII

LARIMAR BATISTA PEREZ
KYLE FARNWORTH, TEACHER
Normandin Middle School, New Bedford, MA
I sat down on my bed, mind swirling. I had just come out of school, and my
parents had told me that we were moving. Not moving houses, not moving
cities, but moving countries. I didn’t know what to think of it. On the last days
I had in the Dominican Republic, all I thought about was how my life was
going to change in the blink of an eye. New house, new school, new everything.
It’s tough to start life anew when you’ve lived in the same place for years.
Then, finally, the day came. It was all a blur. I barely even remember those
hours of my life. But despite the weirdness of living in a whole new country,
life was pretty calm.
Then, school came. It was stressful being in a room full of a bunch of other kids
and a teacher you don’t know. I was sitting next to a girl who would become my
best friend for those two years I was in that school. I didn’t want to say a word
in class. I felt like my mouth was stitched together. I kept my eyes on the teacher
the entire time. The teacher was talking about something, and I knew the
answer. I debated raising my hand or not. What if I got it wrong and
embarrassed myself? What if everyone laughed at me? I didn’t want that.
But eventually, I raised my hand anyway. It took immense amounts of courage
to raise my hand like that. To speak up, on my first day, in a new school. I
personally think it is what led to me participating more throughout all of fourth,
fifth, and now sixth grade. I feel proud of myself for showing courage at that
moment and still showing courage today.
“ART IS FOR
EVERYBODY!
NOTHING’S STOPPING
YOU FROM PICKING
UP YOUR PENCIL
AND DRAWING.”
up your pencil and drawing. Anybody can be good at art if they try hard
enough. But honestly, there is no good or bad in art. Art comes in various
different forms, and some don’t even use pencils or paper. Even if one isn’t for
you, you have a million different options to choose from! Painting, sculpting,
even origami is art! You can go absolutely crazy with your art, and nobody’s
going to stop you!
To me, courage means to do something without worrying about the
consequences. I didn’t worry about the consequences when I raised my hand
at that time, and that helped me grow as a person. I don’t worry about any
consequences when drawing, and you shouldn’t either! Because of my courage,
I’ve gotten so far into my progress in art, and I continue growing and growing.
Courage is an important tool in life, and when you use it, you’ll feel better
about yourself.
But that was only one of the times I showed courage, and it was a while ago.
There is a way that I show courage every week, even almost every day.
I am an artist. I draw traditionally and digitally, either with a paper and pencil
or with a digital device like a phone or tablet. In art, you will always make
mistakes, no matter how skilled or professional you are at it. I always do
something wrong in my art. I sometimes get frustrated, even, with one little
mistake after another. Sometimes, the whole art piece never comes out right,
or I’m even not in the mood to draw.
But I always try again and again. Most people don’t have the courage and
determination to do that. They give up, saying it’s “not for them” and that they
“aren’t good at it.” Art is for everybody! Nothing’s stopping you from picking
THE COURAGE OF CHILDREN: BOSTON AND BEYOND
VOLUME XXXIII
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