STORY TIME
She had told us to keep these pieces of paper because we might need
them one day.
The paper was a questionnaire that
we had filled out. We had to answer questions about what we liked
about ourselves. I remembered
having a hard time doing the assignment because we had to brag
about ourselves and I never really
did that. But then I had decided to
answer the questions by writing
down what other people had said
about me.
“What is your best feature?” I had
put my eyes because I remembered
my older sister commenting on my
eyes. “What is your proudest
achievement?” I put playing the piano for old people. At the very
bottom of the paper there was a
comment. It said, “Never let people
bring you down because of who
you are. You are special.” I realized
that maybe I was teased not only
because I was different but
__(6)____because I could do things
that other kids couldn’t do, like
speak two languages and play the
piano for an audience.
The saying on that paper is my
guide now. I live by it. I learn by it. I
achieve because of it. I think of my
qualities and strengths, not weaknesses. My unique traits and
thoughts make me who I am. I still
feel sad sometimes and I still get
teased but it doesn’t affect me the
way it did before. So if you are different, like I am, be proud, be
strong and most importantly, be
yourself.
Ruth Anna Mavashev
An extract from
“Chicken Soup for the
Soul - Think Positive”
By Kevin Sorbo and Amy
Newmark
“Whenyouhavedecided what you believe,
whatyoufeelmustbe
done,havethecourage
tostandaloneandbe
counted.”
Eleanor
Roosevelt
Image Credit:
https://openclipart.org, GDJ
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What challenges did Ruth encounter at school?
How did the science teacher help the girl realise she was special?
Have you been teased at school? Did anyone help you?
What do you like about yourself?
What is your proudest achievement?
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