During the late weeks of December, just before the holidays, my history teacher, Mr. Ira gave an assignment that required us to create a presentation that addressed the question “What is a hardship that you, as a teenager, endure in the world today?” The classed groaned in dismay and mutters of disapproval spread across the classroom like wildfire.

The first person to go was William, a tall boy with blonde-brown hair. He had a hardened, almost intimidating face. He arrived at the podium and said, “Teenagers in modern-day society feel pressured to do well in school academically while participating in extracurricular activities.” He explained that a majority of the student body feels as though they cannot enjoy their life because their freetime is being directed toward enhancing their education. When he finished, several people whistled and the class was nodding in agreement.
The second person to go was Riley. She has medium, auburn hair with rosy cheeks and a slim figure. She proceeded to stand in front of the podium and said,”Teenagers today are scrambling to make important life decision while we are young, which is unfair.” She expressed to the class that she thought it was ridiculous for teenagers to choose a career at such a young age. She stated,” It is unreasonable for our future to be determined by such menial things like grades, test scores, and GPA’s.” When she finished, the class clapped and cheered.
The third person to go was Jade. She was fair with long black hair. Jade has just immigrated from China and her English was stiff. She has been struggling in class because of her limited knowledge of the language.  She looked fearful when heading up to the podium. I could see her hands shaking as she tried to organize her papers and recollect her mind. When she spoke, the words came out in a shaky slur,” My problems are not the same as yours.” Her thick accent stimulated snickers and sneers within the class. She paused and then began speaking again,” My family traveled here by boat from China. The boat had no provisions provided and we were too poor to afford anything. We only had enough bread portions for two people on our two week travels. Soon, we ran out and my family was at the mercy of the ocean. I fished for hours and caught one or two small ones on a good day.” She hesitated and I realized that her eyes were glassy. A tear streamed down her face. Nonetheless, she began again,”One day, I was not able to catch any fish. My mom was with child and needed the nutrition. However, that evening, my mother delivered early. The baby was premature.” She began to sob yet my teacher nodded and she caught her breath and proceeded, “My mom and brother died that day. You all speak of problems that children in China would pray to have. Starvation and death. These are the hardships that I have had to endure.” When she finished, the class stood rigid this time. No claps, whistles, or movement. It seemed as if we were afraid to even blink. Mr. Ira was the first to break this virtual reality. He stood up slowly, eyes pink and heavy with tears. We all turned around, wide-eyed, staring at him in anticipation.  “A plus.”