First Grade: Everything is Good By the Bae
by Ellie Nguyen, age 16
Published in Small Things Can Grow Tall
Today was the first day of the first grade: the first day to set a foundation for the rest of my life. I merrily skipped through the little classroom door that read, “Welcome to the Paul A. Dever Elementary School! Mrs. Bae, Grade 1”, which, at the time, I thought just said, “enter.”
I was like the sun and had a gravitational pull on people, like planets. I ran my mouth as if I had shoes for teeth. People just always seemed to be interested by what I had to say. But when the teacher told me to stand in front and introduce myself, I froze. The pomegranate I had for breakfast must’ve seeped through my gums because they now stained my chubby cheeks. I couldn’t even remember that title that was bestowed upon me when I took my first breath. Was I afraid to show them who I was? Did I look stupid just standing there? “Elizabeth,” I finally said. “I was named after the queen!” Mrs. Bae chuckled a bit and bowed. “Well, it’s an honor to meet you, your highness.” I knew I was going to like her.
I was then introduced to twenty-seven little possibilities that would stick with me forever. There were endless things you could do with A-Z and infinite new memories to make with my new best friend, Nhien Dao. We were like little old ladies; we gossiped about previous years we could barely remember. To many people we were Siamese twins. Going down the slides, lying on the rug, eating the inedible—we were inseparable.
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