Personal Narrative: The Switch
Personal Narrative
English 101
Jonathan Brate
9/3/2013
The Switch
After my second year in high school, I made a decision that would turn out to be life changing. This decision wasn’t life changing in the way that getting married or going to college would be, but I really learned a lot about myself that summer. What I’m about to tell you is what happened when I switched from Marching Band to Football. I will explain to you why this switch was such a big deal to me and what I learned about myself from it. Switching from Marching Band to Football after my Sophomore year of high school changed the way I saw myself because I found I have a strong enough will to follow my heart despite controversy with others, I have a strong desire to be in control of my life, and I have an aggressive side that had not shown itself before. While making the decision to change from one activity to another, my own self-reliance and confidence really took over and helped me to deal with the controversy among my friends and teammates. My friends and band director wanted me to stay in the marching band because I was a section leader with three years of experience who was up for the Drum Major position. Naturally, this put me under a lot of social pressure. On top of that, my new teammates on the football team weren’t exactly thrilled to have a tuba player trying out for the team. They used to make fun of me quite a bit, until I proved myself out on the field, that is. Another significant hurdle was telling my parents that I wanted to switch. I knew that my parents said they would support me in any decision I make, that isn’t life threatening, but I wasn’t sure if they would condone me playing football, which is probably one of the most dangerous sports in the world if you don’t practice proper technique. The fact that I was able to deal with all this and still stick to my guns showed me I was strong enough to follow my heart and cut my own path. Especially after considering the
English 101
Jonathan Brate
9/3/2013
The Switch
After my second year in high school, I made a decision that would turn out to be life changing. This decision wasn’t life changing in the way that getting married or going to college would be, but I really learned a lot about myself that summer. What I’m about to tell you is what happened when I switched from Marching Band to Football. I will explain to you why this switch was such a big deal to me and what I learned about myself from it. Switching from Marching Band to Football after my Sophomore year of high school changed the way I saw myself because I found I have a strong enough will to follow my heart despite controversy with others, I have a strong desire to be in control of my life, and I have an aggressive side that had not shown itself before. While making the decision to change from one activity to another, my own self-reliance and confidence really took over and helped me to deal with the controversy among my friends and teammates. My friends and band director wanted me to stay in the marching band because I was a section leader with three years of experience who was up for the Drum Major position. Naturally, this put me under a lot of social pressure. On top of that, my new teammates on the football team weren’t exactly thrilled to have a tuba player trying out for the team. They used to make fun of me quite a bit, until I proved myself out on the field, that is. Another significant hurdle was telling my parents that I wanted to switch. I knew that my parents said they would support me in any decision I make, that isn’t life threatening, but I wasn’t sure if they would condone me playing football, which is probably one of the most dangerous sports in the world if you don’t practice proper technique. The fact that I was able to deal with all this and still stick to my guns showed me I was strong enough to follow my heart and cut my own path. Especially after considering the