Some students exhibit high levels of intelligence early on. I was not one of them, at least not according to my second grade teacher, Ms. Colon. She looked my parents in the eyes and said, “I’m sorry, but I cannot recommend your son to Woodrow Wilson. He’s not an all-rounder.” Now I do not blame Ms. Colon. She had to nominate a student from her class of kindergartners for an interview at the Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, an institution for the “gifted and talented” children from the Union City School District. She judged students’ respective aptitudes based on whether they hit certain benchmarks, such as tying one’s shoes, listening and following instructions, etc. I struggled with these basic tasks, but my parents saw past these initial failures. They had faith in my intelligence and refused to accept the notion that I could not perform at a higher level. A little irked with Ms. Colon, my parents decided that if I needed to be an all-rounder,…show more content… Coached by my father, I acted in several children’s theater productions. From these I learned how to project my voice and articulate when speaking. In addition to the acting lessons, my parents signed me up for piano and voice lessons. I learned how to play fairly well, and, with my father’s guidance, continued to do so for several years. Singing soon became one of my greatest joys. My parents, upon seeing this, immediately enlisted me in a children’s choir. I took art lessons, dance lessons, even Brazilian martial arts lessons. Over the span of two years, I had amassed a two-inch thick portfolio. When my grades dropped by a narrow margin in the first grade, my parents immediately signed me up for Kumon, a tutoring service. Aided by Kumon, my grades improved, and I began to stand out among my peers. My parents’ faith in me transformed me from a shy, foreign student who desperately wanted to fit in among my classmates into someone who recognized the value of being different. I was
