KINDNESS
NARRATIVE ESSAY
1
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE · A SMALL ACT OF KINDNESS
A Time I Helped Someone
How a few minutes spent helping a new student changed the way I noticed people around me.
THE MOMENT
A new student was lost.
THE CHOICE
I stopped instead of
walking past.
THE RESULT
A small favor became a
lasting lesson.
The bell had just rung for lunch when I noticed a younger student standing near the main office
with a sheet of paper in his hand. Students were moving around him in every direction, but he
stayed in one place, looking from the paper to the hallway signs. He looked as if he wanted to ask
someone for help but did not know whom to approach. I almost walked past him because I was
already thinking about getting to the cafeteria before the line became too long.
I stopped after a few steps. “Are you looking for a classroom?” I asked. He nodded and showed
me his schedule. He was a new student and needed to find a classroom on the other side of the
building for his next period. I recognized the room number, but it was farther away than I had
expected. I had enough time to get to lunch, but I knew he might have trouble finding it by himself.
I told him I would show him where to go. We started down the hallway, and he walked a little
behind me while checking his schedule. Along the way, he asked where the cafeteria was, where
students were supposed to wait for buses, and whether the teachers were strict about being late.
His questions reminded me of how confused I had felt when I first started at the school. I had
forgotten how difficult it was to understand a new building when every hallway looked almost the
same.
When we reached his classroom, he stopped outside the door. “Thanks,” he said quietly. I told
him it was no problem and headed back toward the cafeteria. By then, the lunch line was longer
than I had wanted. I remember briefly regretting that I had stopped because I was hungry and had
less time to eat. It was a small thought, but it made me realize that helping someone does not
always happen when it is convenient.
The next morning, I saw the same student near the entrance. This time, he recognized me
immediately. He smiled and said, “I found all my classes yesterday.” I smiled back and told him I
was glad. He then asked if he could sit with me and some other students at lunch because he had
not made many friends yet. I agreed and introduced him to the group.
