“I’m the sponsor for a comic book and anime club at my school. It’s kind of gotten a reputation around campus as the sanctuary for misfits. The stereotype that you get is the nerd, the ones who hide out in basements and are not social. As worrisome as that stereotype might be, I don’t reject it. I am sort of a magnet for socially awkward people and those who don’t really belong anywhere else. It’s something that I’ve come to take great pride in. My classroom is a home to everybody.

“One thing I’ve seen multiple times is that I’ll get kids who are withdrawn, shy and lacking confidence, and a few weeks in my club transforms them. I met a kid the year before who would only come to the club occasionally. He suffers from depression. He doesn’t feel like he has a place in the world. But toward the end of the year, I approached him about being president of the club. It confused him. He didn’t understand why I would choose him rather than someone who came all the time. I told him that I’ve seen some of the things he’s written and created artisticwise. And he has a way of speaking to other people, even though he doesn’t like to, and they listen. I told him, ‘I think you’re the right man for this.’

“Sure enough, when I saw him again in his junior year, he became more social. He was more willing to go up to a group of strangers and introduce himself. He has a long way to go. There have been times where he has allowed his insecurities and his struggles with depression to kind of interfere with his development. But as we move into his senior year, I want to continue to work with him and kind of foster his leadership skills. This is not somebody who would be able to join the football team or student council, those sorts of things. But in our club, he could be a leader. How I hope that translates into his future life is that he can build a career around his interests and the skills that he learns socially in the club.

“A lot of these kids feel like there is not a future in fandom. But I tell them, if you feel like you can do this, you can do this. If you want to try it, try it. I’m all about uplifting, elevating, empowering. I don’t want anybody to feel like they don’t belong or they don’t have a future where they can be happy. Because everybody deserves that.”

— Jeff Derrickson

Jeff grew up in Baytown. He is an English teacher at North Shore High School.

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“If I stop to think about everything that’s happened — being in a difficult marriage, getting a divorce, raising three young girls on my own — it’s a lot. But I think I’ve come a long way, as far as learning more about myself, and growing as a person and a mother. I think I’ve become a more confident person. That’s a huge thing for me.

“I was always pretty introverted and shy. But I feel like I’ve come way out of my shell, especially since the divorce four years ago. I’m much more independent and confident now. I’ve kind of had to be.

“Don’t get me wrong. I still have moments where I struggle with that a little bit, just because of the challenges of daily life. The house may not be perfectly clean all the time and I may lose patience with my girls every now and then. But overall, I guess I’m pretty proud of myself for what I’ve been able to accomplish.

“Although I have no family living close by, I haven’t done this all on my own. There have been so many people through church and other friends who have provided support. I wouldn’t be in the place I am now without them.

“I feel like there’s so much that I’ve learned and still have to learn. And I’m still facing some big challenges. But I have what I call this radical faith that’s helping lead me through it all. In the end, I’m going to have this huge story to tell. I think it will help somebody else who might be going through a rough time in their life. If I can be that person who can help others, then that will really be something I can be proud of.”

— Erynn Anderson

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“Moving to the United States with my family actually has made a huge impact on me. When I was living in the Philippines, I was so shy talking to foreigners. But now that we’ve lived here for almost three years, I’m not that shy anymore. I’ve gotten used to speaking with Americans and people of different races.

“It’s taken me a while. What really helped was working at Target. As I continued to talk with co-workers and customers, my vocabulary increased. I began to feel more comfortable interacting with people.

“I continue to learn new words and kind of the slang way to say some things. Like the word sweater. I used to pronounce it ‘swe-tur.’ Now I’m used to calling it ‘swe-dur.’ More relaxed, smooth like that.

“I’m 21, and I grew up speaking Filipino, even when we lived in Saudi Arabia where my mom worked as a nurse. So I’m not perfect with my English yet. But I’m working on it.”

— Xavier Tupag

The post With English-speaking confidence, shyness disappears appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“My daughter is in fourth grade. My son is in sixth grade. And I’m that dad who gives them a message in the morning before they go off to school. The main thing that I kind of beat into their heads is, ‘Your purpose is to change the world, just a little bit, in a positive way.’

“There is so much negativity out there. We see it on the news. We see it on social media. We’re fed it every single day. That’s why I’m so inspired when I see someone go against the grain to help people make better choices and to get past the barriers we have to break.

“Recently, I’ve spoken at a few schools because I know that our youth can be strongly influenced one way or the other. Right now, their minds are like sponges. So one of the things I tell them is that whatever they believe is impossible, it’s really not. It’s about reaching your potential and having confidence in yourself, more than anyone else.

“As cliche as it sounds, the first step is to believe in yourself. Whatever circumstances you may come across, you have to know it’s just for that moment. Getting caught up in that fear, it blurs our vision to the point that we don’t want to experience it again. We’re afraid to experience failure.

“But if you want to be successful, you have to be willing to accept failure. You have to allow yourself to fall, but then get back up again and keep marching forward. It takes patience sometimes. But in the end, we all are capable of achieving our goals, of becoming who we truly want to be.”

— Vincent Grant

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“I attended elementary schools that had a bilingual program up until fourth grade. That’s when I transitioned to all English at San Jacinto Elementary. I remember it being a shock. I went from doing very well in class and being very verbal to going into a classroom where I felt intimidated. I felt that everybody was smarter than me because I didn’t speak as fluently as they did. So I just got quiet.

“I didn’t feel like I could compete academically. Even though I still felt I was smart, I had lost confidence. I stayed on par as far as my assessments. I would pass everything. I just didn’t blossom. I wasn’t a leader.

The post Bilingual student lived in two different worlds appeared first on The Baytown Project.

“I was a pretty shy kid in high school. I didn’t say much because I was afraid if I did, I would be made fun of or ridiculed. So I pretty much kept my thoughts and everything to myself. Making friends was challenging. I had a few, but not that many. I figured that college would be the place to help me grow into someone who people take notice of and respect.

“My goal is to become an attorney, so I started doing debate to work on speaking confidently in front of people. It’s been sort of a struggle. I get a little nervous and I’ve stuttered a little bit in the debate rounds, but I’m learning more about how to boost my confidence and how to speak properly.

“I feel like my social skills have come a long way; way above where I expected them to be. I’m accomplishing so much.”

— Adam Naiser, 19

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As another school year comes to a close, here’s a young student who seems pretty focused on her future.

“I go to IMPACT Early College High School. By the time I graduate, I’ll have two years of college credit with my associate’s degree. I want to become a doctor, which is going to take me 10 years if not more, so this is giving me a good head start. Right now, I’m just trying to take things one step at a time.

“Transitioning from high school to college and being in classes with actual adults who are older than me, it was kind of tough. At first, I kept to myself. Then I realized I have to communicate more with the other students around me. I definitely gained some self-confidence this year. It helps having other kids from IMPACT experiencing the same thing.”

In her spare time, she enjoys reading and writing. “So maybe along with being a doctor, I could become a writer as well.”

— Allison Vazquez, 16

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“I used to be really, really, really fat. It’s crazy how skinny I am now compared to back then. My face was so puffed up, I could barely see.

“In eighth grade, I probably weighed 240 pounds. Then I started playing football and working out. It helped me get so much thinner and stronger.

“I’m a different person now. It’s given me a lot more confidence.”

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