The other day in history class, my teacher asked the class why is history so important. He asked several of my classmates, and all were correct, but not the answer he wanted to hear. “Everything that has ever happened to you in the past makes you who you are today.” That got me thinking, where would I be today if my parents hadn’t decided to hold me back a year in first grade. Who would my friends be if I hadn’t met my two best friends Rachel and Sandy? Would I act differently and hang out with different people? Who knows where I would be today?

I turned 16 last Sunday, and I still have a long journey of fun times and rocky roads to travel. When I was about 7 years old I met one of my best friends, Rachel, in Mrs. Green’s first grade class. It was like going to a new school, not knowing anyone, because anyone I had known last year had gone up a grade while I stayed back. She came up to me during craft time and asked me for one of my crayons from my 64 pack with the sharpener. I said yes, she took the crayon, grabbed a paper, and started coloring. We talked the whole time, and when class was over, she said goodbye and left. It wasn’t until towards the end of the year that we realized we lived 2 houses away from each other! Since then, we have been bike riding back and forth over the 10 years that I have known her. A few years later, I met Sandy, my other best friend, who lives 3 houses down from me. All three of us are very close.
In 2nd grade, I learned a few life lessons, this being one of them. I started riding my bike to and from school, with the company of a parent ofcourse. That day, my mom happened to be taking me home, and she liked to warn me about the dangers of the road. I loved to go fast, but I had to stay with my mom who was walking. My dad was driving home that day, and I decided that I would try to keep up with him while he drove his car, 30 mph. My mom told me not to, but I did anyway. I started to think that it wasn’t such a good idea when his car was fading and I was swerving the bike back and forth so fast I was getting dizzy. I guess the bike wasn’t enjoying it very much either, because the next thing I knew I was flying through the air screaming! I stood up crying and screaming running to my mom. I had a huge gash in my chin and blood everywhere. My mom rushed me to the hospital where they glued my chin. I learned two things that day, the bigger the cut, the bigger the ice cream. Also, always listen to your mom when she tells you not to try and go 30 mph on a bike when you’re in second grade.
I went to middle school, and I met a lot of people and life changing teachers. One of the teachers was Mrs. Frost, my 6th grade reading teacher. She actually made me excited for reading class. She would read to the class everyday with a voice that could sooth a crying baby. She would tell us new tales every day, mostly personal. She got involved with the class, and made me want to teach. I had another very memorable teacher in 6th grade who taught history. His name was Mr. Hummel, and he taught me I could do anything. He taught us things without the book; he gave us fun projects and talked with us. He taught with us, not at us, and he was favored by most. He had a loving wife and 3 kids, and shared pictures with all of us. Sadly, he isn’t in this world with us today, because in 2005, he died of a heart attack. They announced it over the loud speaker and we had a long moment of silence for this wonderful teacher who gave so much. In 7th grade I had an interesting history teacher named Mrs. Donair, who was feared by all who didn’t have her and loved by those who did. She was a short plump woman who had enough determination in her, she could probably win an Olympic gold medal if she wanted to. Before I had her though, I thought she was a cruel teacher who hated kids and taught just for the satisfaction of torturing them, or at least, that’s what I had heard. It turned out to be that she just told her students to say that, and boy did they listen! She gave us activities every day, and would always do one for herself. She never sat at her desk, even when we had a test. She either walked around or sat in one of the kid’s desks. She got very into things. I also met a lot of cool people including a very good friend of mine even to this day, Christie. I met her in Mr. Roberto’s 8th grade science class. We talked and laughed and found it very entertaining that she had the same last name as our teacher. We had been assigned to sit together after I got moved for talking. I stayed friends with her for the whole year, and cried when we found out that she had to go to another school.
I only went to my first high school for 9th grade, and I was in the annex, so I never experienced the whole freshmen thing. I made a lot of friends, but because it was block scheduling, I only knew them for half the year. But one teacher stood out among the rest, and not particularly in a good way. He was my 9th grade drama teacher, and he only taught drama because he didn’t want to teach FCAT; he made a girl cry, and when he got mad, he didn’t teach. He made drama un-fun for me, but luckily this year at my new school, I have Mrs. Morton for acting. I now go to a much bigger school that I enjoy very much. I have already made a lot of great friends and had a lot of fun experiences. I am actually enjoying high school, thanks to my great teachers and dedicated friends.
Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if I had never taken first grade twice. What my life would have been like if I hadn’t met Rachel and Sandy. Would I have had so many of the same great teachers? Would I have had so many good and bad experiences that have helped me in life? I don’t know, but I do know one thing, I wouldn’t change a thing. I have so many great friends that I would have never met had I not taken that extra year in first grade. Many call it fate, but I call it luck.