Meet Avery

💛 A Little About Me

I'm Avery, and I'm 12. I'm thoughtful, imaginative and independent, and my humor is the quiet kind. I love sketching, fantasy novels, music and creating whole fictional worlds. I'm a patient friend, and I notice details other people miss.

I don't need to be the center of attention. But I do want people to notice what I'm good at.

I live with my mom, my dad and my older sister, Sophia, who's 16. Sophia gets great grades, is in student government and plays competitive soccer. We care about each other — she even helps me with homework. But relatives are always asking if I'll follow in her footsteps. Even my parents say things like, "Your sister always kept a planner." They don't mean it this way, but I hear: "Why can't you be more like her?"

⚡ Something That Happened

I wrote a fantasy story about a girl who discovers a hidden library where forgotten stories come alive. My teacher praised my imagination and my descriptive language.

I was so excited that I told a relative about it. They said, "Sophia won a writing award at your age, too. Maybe you'll be just like her!"

Even something that was mine turned into another comparison. Why can't I just be good at being me?

🏫 In Our Classroom

In a writing lesson, my teacher praised Maya's organized introduction and said she'd love to see more students write like this.

I was proud of my own imaginative story. But what I heard was, "Maya did it better." I muttered, "Why don't we all just copy Maya?" My teacher said my attitude was disrespectful.

🌱 What I'm Learning

Maya didn't ask to be compared to anyone. I'm learning to notice my own progress and to celebrate other people without putting myself down.

I'm also practicing asking for feedback on my own work, like, "Can you show me what's working in mine and what I should improve?" Someone else doing something great doesn't mean I failed.