2007 - Secondary - Runner Up - Cohen

Ori Cohen, 7th Grade (Age 12)
Riverside Middle School - Greer, SC
Title: When You're Different, Story
Mrs. Dobinski



Jan 16, 2007

On Christmas day I was in an airplane flying from Tel Aviv, Israel to Greenville, South Carolina. My family and I had to move because of my dad's job. I didn't know any English. Even though I was born in SC, I hadn't spoken any English since we moved to Israel when I was 4. After Christmas break, my sister and I went to school all excited, thinking that this would be the best year ever. We'd seen movies and heard neat stuff about the schools.

I went into class all nervous. I sat down to where the teacher pointed. I remember sitting there not knowing or having a single clue about what she was saying, I didn't even know what subject she was talking about. I was sitting and listening to the teacher talk all day in Gibberish.

Apparently, she didn't tell the students I couldn't speak English because they were all talking to me. I just stared a them not knowing what to say. I tried to explain that I was born here, and I forgot my English. I tried saying a couple of words in Hebrew to see if they were alike; they didn't understand me. Then I tried making hand movements. It drove me nuts because I was thinking the words in my head in Hebrew. I got so mad that I couldn't say anything. The schedules were making my head hurt. After the first few days I was the weirdo of the 4th grade, or at least I thought so.

I couldn't speak, spell, or write in English. What bugged me most was that my parents would say, "It'll be okay," "Don't worry about it" or "They'll get over it soon, and you'll learn your English quickly." Which was, of course, WRONG!

Everyone kept calling me names, made up cruel nicknames, and ignored me when I tried to say something. The kids that were nice were always in another class! I would cry EVERY NIGHT IN BED! I would write sad songs and cry with my dolls, which were the only friends I had.

When I talked to my buddies in Israel, they told me that they would love to trade places with me, and I'd just say, "yeah...any way..."

The kids would point and laugh at me all the time or, at least, it seemed like it. I kept hearing my name called. I would turn around and see someone quickly taking their finger down. My mom would tell me to invite a friend over, so I did, but things just got worse.

In Israel, my friends would come over every day, and we would do homework together and play all day. Here, my days were empty. So, I was miserable until 6th grade.

I was super scared because most of the "mean kids" went to middle school. I was worried that the kids would start talking about me all over again.

I was very wrong! There were many other students like me that came from many other schools and countries. For the first time, I had real friends that would come over, do homework, and play all day! It was a great feeling to laugh everyday and be just like everybody else.

I learned that name-calling, teasing, and making people feel bad for any reason is a horrible thing to do. I would never do something like that because I know what it feels like. Name calling is mean and makes someone remember you forever, not for a good thing that you did, but for a heartless thing that you did.