It was then that it dawned on me: I wasn’t a wallflower anymore. I was Shulamis, a self-confident, friendly, talented part of the grade

Midterms were a disaster. But I took them all, reaching an agreement with the principal to study as hard as I could if they’d give me the support I needed. I stopped skipping classes and went to the tutoring sessions like a good girl. My grades improved significantly, and so did my teachers’ respect for me. I saw it in their eyes when they handed me back the exams, and I patted myself on the shoulder. It didn’t happen overnight; it took a lot of internal struggle. I explored my heart, peeled off the most hurting places, scrubbed myself raw. But the new state of mind was wonderful. I felt so good, so confident, that all the pain was worth it.

I devoted myself to my schoolwork. I had a long meeting with the principal, and we devised a work plan for the rest of the year and the upcoming finals.

Now that I was ready to listen to her, I realized that she really was trying to help me, and it was I who had refused to cooperate. The realization was astounding.

I was doing better on all fronts, but the day I really appreciated the change was the day I was chosen to be the head of the Purim décor committee. I had been slowly establishing some rapport with the rest of the class, and they started listening to me when I had something to say. When Purim came along, and the GO heads needed someone to help them decorate the school for color war, I was chosen. It was then that it dawned on me: I wasn’t a wallflower anymore. I was Shulamis, a self-confident, friendly, talented part of the grade.  With my own hard work, I made myself a person again. It was wonderful to feel like I belonged.