The Power of Hope
Do you know those days you will never forget? No matter how many years pass, or how special your more current memories are, you will just never forget that day because of its significance. Let’s bring it back to a cold December day, in which my whole life and mindset altered. That day that was so memorable, however, the particular moment was not the most extraordinary aspect. It was what I learned from this crucial task, and the relevance that I took into the real world and all of my future endeavors.
It was a cold December day; the day before winter break so everyone was jolly and eager to get out of school for a week and a half. I couldn’t wait. Winter breaks are what I live for; family time, hanging with friends every day, and best of all, opening presents on December 25th. That is all I could think about, really. But every Friday at 2:30, half an hour before school concluded, my teacher would pick names out of a hat for two students to compete in a spelling bee. The first student who got picked was extremely bright. To be honest, she was the smartest girl in my class, and possibly the school. So I thought to myself: “What are the chances I get picked out of twenty five students?” I was whispering amongst my classmates, truly not giving Mrs. Kaplan an abundance of attention. But in the background I heard her voice say “Sean, your name was picked.” I looked at Mrs. Kaplan and proceeded to look at my classmate Lexi, as she was already standing in front of the class. I guess I’ll admit it was a bit of a nervous look, and that was because I was very tense.
I want to inform you that I was basically the class clown. Almost everyone thought I was quite comical. I also tended to get in a bit of trouble and see my principal often. I was caught with that stigma of the funny, popular kid, who excelled in sports and it seemed that I did not care about school as much as one should. But what people didn’t get was I was indeed pretty smart, I just hardly would apply myself.
As I looked around the room, many of my classmates had unnatural faces on. Some were smiling, some were sarcastically saying “Good luck.” This was as I was making my way up to the front of the class. Lexi had this mysterious look on her face; comparable to a weird smile.. I’ll admit that she was a bit cocky in the sense that she knew she was the brightest student and she thought was going to win with ease. I looked around the room one more time prior to Mrs. Kaplan giving the first word and people were taking me as a joke, basically.
As the spelling bee was going, I was getting a bit more confident although I was feeling negative heading into this objective. I was doing superb and in my mind I thought “Maybe I got this”, but later on I knew I was going to come out on top. Mrs. Kaplan gave Lexi a word and I knew she spelled it wrong, so then came my chance. My chance to prove all the doubters and haters wrong. My chance to prove that I was no “joke” in the classroom setting. My next task was spelling ‘acknowledge’. I spelled it correctly and everyone in the room was shocked, including me, but just slightly.
They say that particular events are not always what shapes you into the individual you are, but it is what you take out of it that is more relevant, even though they interconnect. No one thought I was going to win. Absolutely nobody. I got this sense of confidence after I won but what really got me through was this sense of hope. Initially, I thought I had no chance, but as the spelling bee went on, I was telling myself that I could do it. Eventually, that is what got me the win, and more importantly than the win: a growth mindset.
From this day on, I realize that I could succeed at anything I put my mid to. Whether it is beating the smartest girl in a spelling bee, or learning how to make phone bags in english class. What is so meaningful is the lasting effect that this brief spelling bee has had on me. To this day, I reminisce on that time because it is critical to all that I have accomplished. Senior year, an hour before my lacrosse game my coach told me that the best defenseman in the state was going to guard me, and he just committed to play lacrosse at Maryland. This spelling bee event taught me to never back down, no matter how huge the task, and feel positive and hopeful throughout the life. I finished the game with four goals and the game winning assist.With that win, we were now the third seed in the playoffs.
That is an example of how this day changed my life forever. Those fifteen minutes in front of my fourth grade class shaped who I am today. And I know that I should apply myself no matter what, and through the power of hope, I can complete any assignment put in front of me.
