King Thaw

As I stood at the front of the classroom

With my cloak and my golden crown.

My nose felt larger

And my face felt funny

As my cheeks began to swell.

I looked at the teacher

Who began to speak

And tell those children around,

That I was new and probably scared,

This feeling I had already found.

My eyes began searching

Across the room

For a friendly face to appear,

But amid the blank faces, the teacher's glare

I just wanted to disappear.

We have all felt like King Thaw at some point in our lives, (I know I have) and wished we'd had the confidence not to worry about what other people thought of us. For some, confidence increases with age and experience. For others, that lack of confidence remains throughout life and can be a constant stumbling block, making certain moments in life difficult to manage.

LAMDA gave me a self-confidence which allowed me to thrive in most environments. Don't get me wrong, I still have moments when the nerves kick in but with confidence instilled from ten years of Speech and Drama lessons, I know I'm going to be just fine.

If you are reading this, thinking, I could never memorise a poem or stand in front of an examiner and act...give it a go...you won't know unless you try!

Fear can paralyse, but confidence gives us the freedom to create a world for ourselves, where anything is possible.