AcceptanceIn my life, I have worked the hardest for those around me to accept me. I tried to make friends not by being myself, but by being who I thought they wanted me to be. It took me a long time to realize that by just being myself, my life would be much easier and others would accept me just the same, if not more. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay I walked into the room and a feeling of not belonging immediately came over me. It was my first year in the IGC (The Intelligently Gifted Childrens) program at Public School 107, Queens. I was in fifth grade, but the rest of the kids had been in the program since the beginning of first grade, fourth grade. As you can imagine, the groups were already formed. That was what defined me as being different, and them being the coolest. Throughout the year, I was ridiculed by my fellow students, especially by a girl named Janelle. She was a pretty little white, rich girl who felt like she was the head of everyone. As I sat at my desk, I heard the whispers and quiet laughter, while feeling the cold stares seeping into every part of my body. She would tell all the other kids how ugly and stupid I was. I guess she took pleasure in making me feel beneath everyone and making me feel stupid. The year passed and the constant teasing started to drive me crazy. I would try to do anything to stop them from making fun of me. Once I even used the excuse of my great-grandmother's death to get them to stop teasing me for a day. But then I started believing them, becoming more and more stressed and unable to maintain my good grades. The stress that this teasing and taunting caused me made me sick. You see, when I'm stressed, my defenses go down and I get very, very sick. I couldn't go to school for a few weeks and my work started to suffer. Being part of the IGC has become more difficult and less possible. It turned out that for the sixth grade I had to be reintegrated into regular classes. I felt even stupider than before. In sixth grade, I wanted to have a better year and fit in. Yet the fear of not being accepted by my peers still haunted me. I didn't want to be a nerd, so I didn't let anyone know how smart I really was. I was behind in all my work and would only pass the tests. This caused my teacher to tell my parents that I was lazy. Of course, my parents were angry and no longer allowed me to visit my friends' house. I had to stay home, do my homework and study as much as I could. This was especially upsetting to me given that at the end of the year I was moving to Brentwood, Long Island and would probably never see most of my friends again. Then the move finally happened and I had to start at a new school. A new school meant new people and a new atmosphere. My parents told me that I had to do my best or I would be punished. Being at this new school also made me care less about what others thought of me. I didn't even want to be friends with the kids at my new school. I missed my old neighborhood and my old friends. So my attitude of indifference allowed me to do my best and my hardest. As the year progressed, my hard work paid off and I became one of the top students in my class. Being myself and not caring what