Revere Literary Anthology 2022: ‘Helping Out’

The Palisadian-Post has partnered with Paul Revere Charter Middle School to highlight a series of pieces from its 2022 Literary Anthology. The following piece, penned by Jayden Sheard, originally appeared in the Autobiographical Narratives section of the anthology, released in spring, and has been reprinted here with permission.

It was a warm day at Paul Revere Middle School, and the super sight-blinding sun was shining in the sky. It was during COVID, and it was my first day of seventh grade. As I was in line for my daily pass to get scanned, it wouldn’t open so I needed to go to the auditorium to get my pass figured out. It was as boring as watching paint dry. It felt so good to finally leave. I went to go to my homeroom, but when I finally got there it seemed like Mr. Fulling was already teaching so that meant I missed homeroom.

I asked him, and I was right.

After I stepped out of homeroom, I was worried because I thought my first period teacher, Mr. Honda, had started science class already so I ran trying to find the classroom. On the way to my class I saw a sixth grader who was lost. Instead of getting to my first period class on time, I decided to help him out. I walked over to him and said, “Do you need help?”

“Yes,” he replied.

I asked him, “Where is your class?”

He was a short kid with blond hair and brown eyes, and he answered with a shaky voice saying, “It is in the X building.”

I said, “Okay, I know where that is. Follow me.”

I started walking to where he needed to go, and he followed me. The thought of being late to my first period class scared me a little because I didn’t want my teacher to get mad at me.

After all, I didn’t know yet if he was strict or not.

We finally arrived at the X building, and I turned around to the little kid who was still behind me and said, “Here we are.”

He said thanks and started to walk off to his first period class.

As he was walking away I said, “Have a great first day.”

He turned around and said, “Thanks. You too.”

After I helped the sixth grader get to class I was no longer worried.