From: Ananya, Pri 6, Temasek Primary School
I feel that Bird should follow her dream and be comfortable in her own skin. Although popular girls can be intimidating, she should not stop chasing her dream just to be liked by others. In my opinion, Bird should not give up on her lifelong dream just to prove that she can be pretty to Jessica for a myriad of reasons.
Firstly, Bird should realise she is pretty just the way she is. Bird should be sanguine about her appearance because confidence plays a crucial role in self-love development. Without self-confidence, Bird will not recognise her worth and cannot flourish into who she is meant to be — an astronaut in space. Bird should also understand that we are all human and nobody is perfect; everyone has their own flaws and weaknesses. Jessica, as well as the other popular girls in class, may have different passions to pursue and different interests. Instead of feeling ashamed of her flaws, Bird should embrace them and create the best version of herself.
Secondly, Bird should not feel discouraged by Jessica’s words. Rather, she should continue working hard and doing what she enjoys — learning, while focusing on herself simultaneously. She should also take inspiration from Ms Salonga who, despite getting rejected from the Teacher in Space programme, never stopped loving space travel. This shows us that even if we face challenges along the way, we should always have grit.
As the saying goes, “If you do what you love, success will always follow.”