(169) Kids Books Read Aloud | Story About Finding Your Voice & Confidence

Mira's First Day of School

Mira was excited for her first day of school, and her morning began with a loving breakfast prepared by her Baba. Her family expressed their love and support as Mama kissed her forehead, and Nani waved goodbye, wishing her good luck. Mira had anticipated this moment, eager to learn, play, and make new friends.

Struggles with Name Pronunciation

As she introduced herself to her classmates, she confidently said, "My name is Mira." However, the excitement quickly faded as her peers struggled to pronounce her name correctly. They called her "Mina," "Miriam," and even "Moto," distorting her name to the point where it felt unrecognizable. Some of the teachers also mispronounced her name, furthering her frustration, as when one asked, "Is Mina here?" Mira felt a strong desire to correct them but found herself too shy to speak up.

Thoughts of Change

Disheartened, Mira contemplated changing her name to something simpler, hoping it would help her fit in and avoid mispronunciation. She imagined the ease of ordering hot chocolate or finding a keychain with her name on it. Feeling hopeless about the situation, she remained discontent.

Mama's Reassurance

Upon returning home, Mira shared her thoughts with Mama about wanting to change her name. To Mira's surprise, Mama was not supportive of the idea. She highlighted the beauty of Mira's name, explaining that it meant "happiness" in Arabic. Mama emphasized the significance of having a unique name that reflected pride instead of humiliation. She reassured Mira that if people could remember names like Beethoven and Michelangelo, they could certainly remember hers.

Embracing Her Identity

With Mama's words resonating in her heart, Mira decided not to change her name for anyone. She embraced the meaning behind it and felt excitement thinking about sharing her name with the world. The following day at school, she boldly corrected her classmate Hayden when he mistakenly called her "Maya." Mira explained how to pronounce her name properly, and Hayden apologized for his mistake, making it clear that he wanted to be her friend.

New Friends and Celebrating Uniqueness

Mira felt joy as she made her first friend and realized that while some might still get her name wrong, that was okay. She proudly asserted, "That's not my name" when someone mispronounced it. As she engaged with new friends at school, Mira noticed that everyone had unique names with their own beautiful meanings. For instance, Aiko mentioned that her name meant "little loved one," and Jasper shared he was named after his granddad.

Mira felt a sense of excitement about the diversity among her classmates and looked forward to making even more friends, enthusiastically inviting others to introduce themselves by saying, "Hi, my name is Mira. What's yours?"