Hi Friends!

It’s Georgina again. Today I wanted to talk about speaking up for yourself in school. It took me a long time to learn how to do this, but once I did, it made a tremendous difference.

On a typical day, I walk into class and greet my teacher. Even though I am not always feeling well, I force a smile. My teacher responds by asking, “How are you feeling?” I respond by saying, “I feel fine. Thanks for asking.” I always figured that this was the polite thing to say. However, most of the time it wasn’t true. What I really wanted to say was, “Actually, I feel horrible. My stomach hurts, I’m exhausted, and I feel like my head is about to explode.” Eventually, I learned that my teacher wasn’t asking how I was feeling to be polite; she truly wanted to know how I was doing. Once I started speaking up and communicating about how I was really feeling, my teachers were able to be a lot more supportive. They made arrangements so that I would feel comfortable in the classroom and told me not to stress about making up work for their class.

This made me feel so much better. I finally got to a place where I didn’t have to do everything alone; my teachers now work with me to make sure I succeed in their class. I hope my story can help some of you learn how not be afraid to speak up and be honest about how you are feeling. The more they know, the more they can help.

-Georgina