A blessing or a disappointment of expectations?
When I was initially asked what it felt like becoming a vice-captain, I didn’t know what to say. Mostly because of the current COVID-19 situation preventing me from truly experiencing being a school leader, but also because I hadn’t earned a position like this before. Ever since I joined school, taking on responsibilities always appealed to me as it gave me a sense of satisfaction when I successfully completed a task. This and the constant support from my friends and teachers made me wonder as an inexperienced 6th grader if I would ever be able to make it as a captain. Five years passed ridiculously fast, and here I am – holding a captain position.
When I first heard the announcement, I was stunned. Not because I felt that I didn’t deserve it, but because I knew there were many other worthy candidates. Everything was starting to become so real. As a 6th grader, I would look at my vice-captains in admiration and wonder how they earned such high positions. Now I think of how there might be other new 6th graders looking up to me in the same way. I now have mixed feelings about going back to school – excited as always to embark on a new term, but also nervous to be holding such an important position in school (which I hope not to mess up). I know I will be overwhelmed with this position and will learn many great things from it too – but what scares me is whether I’ll be able to live up to the expectations of those who would have elected me as a candidate.
I know I may disappoint some and may end up impressing others too – but I look forward to exploring a new aspect of my life truly - present in actual (normal) school. Whether I turn out to be a perfect leader or make mistakes every step I take, I’m sure I’ll learn valuable life lessons I wouldn’t have learnt otherwise and am grateful to have been given this opportunity. All my prayers now lie in the fact that COVID-19 doesn’t take another school year away from us.