I am a bird.
I wanted to fly.
Others tried to discourage me.
"You can't fly," they mocked me. "Your feathers are too ruffled."
I straightened my feathers.
"Your tail is crooked."
I tried to hide it.
"Your voice is off-key."
I stopped singing.

But then I realized something.
My flaws didn't stop me from flying.
The other birds wanted me to change myself
So I would be like them.
But I couldn't be them.
It wasn't possible.
I was made to stand out.

My eyes were opened.
I saw that the other birds had flaws too.
There were crooked tails here and there.
A feather out of line somewhere else.
They erased everything unique about themselves so they would blend in.
But when they did that, they became invisible.
No one noticed them.
Because they were just like everyone else.
I didn't want to be invisible.
I stopped trying to fix my flaws.

Some other birds had lived lives like mine.
They knew what it was like.
They had gone through the things I was going through now.
They were willing to teach me how to survive.
They worked so hard to help me live a successful life.
These birds loved me as I was.
They showed me what it was like to fly.
I wanted to be like them.
So I learned.
I spread my crooked, ruffled wings.
I spread my wings and learned to fly.

I am forever grateful to those birds.
Thanks to them, I fly to new heights every day.
I am strong because I know my weaknesses.
I am beautiful because I am aware of my flaws.
I am fearless because I learned to recognize illusion from real.
I am wise because I learned from my mistakes.
And it is all thanks to you.
Teachers.