In Sixth grade, I was given my first public speaking assignment. I didn’t think much at the time, just another boring project that teachers continue to give out. When it was assigned I had a month until it was due, so I would just put it off. I thought it was going to be easy and all. But I got up there and it was hard to even know what topic I was going to speak of, although I have known for about a week and a half. After sweating for the first twenty seconds, I finally got it down.
Little did I know I was facing one of my biggest unknown fears: talking in front of twenty-five students and a teacher with a note pad. Even though I saw half of my classmates succeed in this speaking project, it didn’t mean anything when I was up there. I started talking about ‘Something I can improve in’ as assigned, but I stuttered on my first few words and lost track of what I was going to say. Then I remembered some advice and succeeded after that thought.
Coincidentally, I was at my Nonna’s house for dinner the night before I had to present. She knew nothing about the project because I hadn’t mentioned it, nor did I think it would be hard anyway. But you know Grandma’s; they always give advice. She told me that ‘I am in middle school now, and a lot will be thrown at me, but I just have to go with the flow and always try my hardest. And I must always be tough like a “D’amato”’. As I was speaking in the first twenty seconds I thought of her advice and I went with the flow and continued to be mentally tough. I ended up speaking “very well” according to my teacher and received a 97.5% on the project (2.5 points off for my introduction).
This moment changed my life in a good way. It was the biggest sense of relief. Who would’ve thought that advice would get me so far? Standing up there, looking at all my friends faces, I thought I was going to fail until I thought of what my grandmother told me. That advice was not just useful for those five minutes, but for the rest of my life. I realize that sometimes a lot gets thrown at you sometimes but you just have to go with the flow, try your hardest, and be tough like a “D’amato.
