A First Time for Everything

Dan Santat lives in Camarillo, a small town about 50 miles outside of Los Angeles, California. He lives with his mother and father. Because his mother has lupus (an autoimmune disease), which drains her energy, Dan helps out. He describes his elementary years as ordinary and good; his two best friends are always close by. In middle school, everything is different. He keeps his head down to avoid being bullied by bigger kids, and life is no longer as carefree. After an assembly on the dangers of drug use, the students are aggravated and sit with exaggerated scowls on their faces. Dan and his friend are then told that they’ll each practice their speech for an upcoming tournament, and their eyes widen. Dan goes first and stands in front of his school of 700 students, fearing for his life. He begins reciting a poem by A. A. Milne (the author of Winnie the Pooh), but the students keep laughing, and the principal interjects to angrily tell them to quiet down. When one of the students yells out that Dan is a loser, he freezes on the spot. After the speech, his teacher tells him to enunciate better but has no words of comfort for him.