F.A.I.L.--First Attempt at Learning
    
“Remember, honey, Albert Einstein once said, ‘Anyone who hasn’t made a mistake hasn’t learned anything new!’”
    
My mother is obsessed with proverbs: cheering-up proverbs, scolding proverbs. Today’s proverb was because I had drama first period, a class I hated.
    
I got good grades in general. But in drama? Not so much. My parents always encouraged me to try things I wasn’t great at, and I didn’t get it. Why try something new when there was a chance I would fail?
    
I ran to get to the bus, my huge backpack slowing me down. I was so late that the driver practically closed the door on me. My friends were studying in case there was a pop quiz. I stumbled to a seat and started studying, too.
    
When we got to school, I dragged my feet toward the arts building. When I got in, the drama teacher was just starting.
    
“Glad you could join us,” the teacher said coldly. “As I was saying, the Oratorical Contest will begin next week. You can only be eligible if you get an A in my class. Who would like to perform their scene first?”
    
Wait. Did she say oratorical contest? I loved contests! I needed to step up my game. With a gulp, I raised my hand to go first.
    
“What are you doing, man?” My friends looked at me like I was crazy.
    
I bombed. I couldn’t remember any of my lines, and by the end, my ears burned hot with embarrassment. I stumbled back to my seat, dying inside. But I wasn’t ready to quit, either.
    
The next day, I used my bus cramming time to memorize my lines. My friends started laughing at me when I put my hand up again.
    
“He’s gonna fail,” someone mumbled.
    
But it was better. Much better. I had my eyes on the prize--well the contest, anyway. And I wasn’t going to let something like a little embarrassment get in my way. Even though I’d never admit it to my friends, not being perfect at something was actually kind of fun.