Once upon a time, there lived a young boy called John. John was small in size and often felt out of place amongst his larger friends. He was a kind boy, with a good heart, but he felt alone and desperate to be like the other children.

John had been running late for school one day and as he rounded the corner to his class he saw that all the other kids had found their places at the desks, whisperings and whispers of “John’s late again” reached his ears. He felt embarrassed and tried to hide his face as he guiltily took the last seat.

The teacher began the lesson and John was completely lost, he had been too busy worrying about being late to pay attention to the lesson. All of a sudden the teacher called on him to answer a question and John froze, he had no idea what the answer was.

John felt like all the other kids were staring at him and he felt more embarrassed than ever. He was too afraid to ask the teacher to repeat the question so he stayed silent. The teacher gave him a stern look and moved on, leaving John feeling more out of place than ever.

John was desperate to be like everyone else, to fit in and not stick out. He decided to work harder in his classes and pay more attention during the lessons. After a few weeks of studying and paying close attention John noticed that his grades began to improve.

John also began to join in with the group activities that the other children were participating in. He enjoyed being part of the group and for the first time in a long time he felt like he belonged.

The moral of John’s story is that even when we feel desperate to be like everyone else, hard work and determination can help us achieve our goals. With persistence, motivation and dedication, we can make a difference not only to our own lives but to those around us too.