by Ashley Michua
People used to tell me that I talked differently, and they made fun of me for not knowing how to pronounce words correctly. It made me feel horrible, and I made a decision to never talk around others again.
My shy quality has made me struggle throughout so many situations, such as working with unfamiliar people, trying to find friends who will accept me, speaking in front of class, or even raising my hand in class when I know the answer. All these things have made me very uncomfortable. Having everybody look at me makes me feel as if something is wrong with me.
Conversations are always hard to start almost everywhere: at school, in public, or even at work. I never knew what people would think of me. It’s harder to be people’s friend when I can't speak for myself. I feel like if I’d talk, I might make a mistake. Although speaking has always been a struggle for me, I feel like now I’m beginning to grow out of my shell.
Growing up shy, people have always thought I was angry or mad just because I didn't talk. I always had my earphones in to not hear anything or anyone because I felt like it was right. What was embarrassing for me was when people talked to me because I always blushed or I couldn’t speak. I was that one kid who never paid attention to people’s names because I knew I wasn’t going to see them again.
At first, I thought I was the only shy one since everyone in my class was so talkative. They were always laughing and picking on each other, but they never picked on me, which was a relief for me at that time.
Slowly, now I'm learning to connect with people and even getting to know more about them, becoming closer with them and actually being their friend.
Out of all the teachers I had these past years, two have made a positive impact on me. I never felt like I could connect with any of my teachers before. But these teachers told me that’s it’s okay to be shy, although if I don’t start loosening up, talking is going to become more difficult.
People think I'm very shy, but once we’re close, I can't stop talking. The only time I would start talking is when people have the same interests as me. However, junior year has shown me a lot; it didn’t matter what people think of me. I learned that sometimes keeping stuff to myself and not saying much is not a bad thing. l learned how to accept myself, and this has helped me grow out of it even though I'm still quiet sometimes.
My shy quality has made me struggle throughout so many situations, such as working with unfamiliar people, trying to find friends who will accept me, speaking in front of class, or even raising my hand in class when I know the answer. All these things have made me very uncomfortable. Having everybody look at me makes me feel as if something is wrong with me.
Conversations are always hard to start almost everywhere: at school, in public, or even at work. I never knew what people would think of me. It’s harder to be people’s friend when I can't speak for myself. I feel like if I’d talk, I might make a mistake. Although speaking has always been a struggle for me, I feel like now I’m beginning to grow out of my shell.
Growing up shy, people have always thought I was angry or mad just because I didn't talk. I always had my earphones in to not hear anything or anyone because I felt like it was right. What was embarrassing for me was when people talked to me because I always blushed or I couldn’t speak. I was that one kid who never paid attention to people’s names because I knew I wasn’t going to see them again.
At first, I thought I was the only shy one since everyone in my class was so talkative. They were always laughing and picking on each other, but they never picked on me, which was a relief for me at that time.
Slowly, now I'm learning to connect with people and even getting to know more about them, becoming closer with them and actually being their friend.
Out of all the teachers I had these past years, two have made a positive impact on me. I never felt like I could connect with any of my teachers before. But these teachers told me that’s it’s okay to be shy, although if I don’t start loosening up, talking is going to become more difficult.
People think I'm very shy, but once we’re close, I can't stop talking. The only time I would start talking is when people have the same interests as me. However, junior year has shown me a lot; it didn’t matter what people think of me. I learned that sometimes keeping stuff to myself and not saying much is not a bad thing. l learned how to accept myself, and this has helped me grow out of it even though I'm still quiet sometimes.