My First Recitation Mishap

(Descriptive Essay)

My knees were trembling, my hands were cold. My eyes were heavy, I only had four
hours of sleep after all. I wanted to cry because I was not able to finish the coverage for that day.
I wasnt ready.

As the professor tried to shuffle the index cards, I prayed hard that I would not be
called but, unfortunately, I was lucky. I tried to look confident. I stood up trying to put a smile on
my face but in reality, I was overwhelmed with fear. I could feel my heart thump against my
chest and my hands were trembling. It was my first oral recitation after all.

Our professor suddenly started to fire questions at me indiscriminately. Questions that

I do not know the answers to. Questions that I could have answered if only I finished studying
for the coverage assigned that day. I was tongue-tied. The silence in the classroom made it more
obvious that I could not utter even a single word. I tried to look at my book and my printed
materials to search for the answers. I seemed like a helpless victim but the adrenaline kept
rushing as I searched for more answers in my head. I was starting to get embarrassed. There was
nothing else that I could do but look down and feel ashamed. I could see that everyone was
staring at me with a disappointed look on their faces.

Obviously, my professor was aghast at my empty answer. She ordered me to

simply sit down and called on another student. It was a humiliating experience, and I knew I
failed that round of oral recitation.