Michael

Photo by BETZY AROSEMENA on Unsplash

Entering my fourth-grade year was a daunting experience. My parents had recently divorced, and I’d already been forced to change schools once, which was traumatic enough. Now I was expected to start again at a new school, with new kids, new teachers, and new rules.

I decided to adopt a different strategy at this school than the one before — at that school I’d been terrified and didn’t really make friends. I was determined not to let that happen…