I'm The Shortest Girl in School | Easy English Listening Practice (A2)

Hi, my name is Emma. I'm very short.

I've always been short.

Every morning when I walk into school,

people notice.

I mean, [music] they really notice. Some

people stare, some people whisper,

[music]

and some people just look at me and then

look away.

I try not to look back. I really do. Oh.

Oh, sorry. I I didn't see you.

It's okay.

That happens a lot

because I'm

down here.

>> [music]

>> Excuse me.

>> [music]

>> Can I get that?

Do you need a ladder?

They call it a joke, but after a while,

it [music] feels heavy.

Some days I want to disappear. [music]

But then, one day,

something happened.

Something that changed everything.

Emma, are you okay?

And after that day, they didn't laugh

the same way again.

>> [music]

>> Mornings are the easiest part of my day

>> [music]

>> because at home, no one laughs.

I tried to look confident [music]

even if I don't feel it yet.

Ah, [sighs]

not again.

Emma, be careful, sweetheart. I'm fine.

[music] I've done this a million times.

I know, but I still worry.

My mom [music] always says, "Be

careful." Like the world is too big

[music]

and I'm too small.

Ugh.

Okay, slow.

Easy. Don't fight the milk.

>> [laughter]

>> The milk is winning.

>> [laughter]

[bell]

>> I check my phone. A school group message

pops up. Picture day.

My smile fades a little.

Great. What's wrong?

Nothing. Just [music] picture day. Hey,

listen to me.

Your height is one [music] thing, but

it's not who you are. I nod because I

want to believe [music] her. Stand tall,

okay? I'll try.

I take a deep breath

and I step [music] outside.

Another school day,

another chance

to be brave. At home, I feel normal,

but here,

I feel small.

Like a tiny dot in a big crowd.

Move. Sorry.

People don't mean to be rude. They just

don't look down.

Wow,

you're like pocket size.

Good morning, Lena.

Aw, you're polite and tiny.

My cheeks [music] get hot. I want to

disappear into my backpack. Hey, Emma.

Do you ever get tired of looking up at

everyone?

Sometimes.

The truth is,

>> [music]

>> I'm tired every day.

The halls are the worst. Shoulders,

backpacks, elbows, a thousand tall

people moving fast.

Emma, hey.

Hi, Sam.

You okay? I saw your papers. Yeah, I'm

fine. Just morning traffic. Yeah.

This place is like a football game.

Sam is different. He talks to me like

I'm just me.

Come on, let's get to class before Mr.

Harris closes the door. Okay.

Walking next to Sam helps.

Just a little. But I still [music] feel

it. That pressure. Like everyone is

watching [music] me. Even when they're

not.

Class should feel safe, quiet, simple.

But even here, my height follows me.

I sit down.

I look up at the board.

I lean left, then right.

The board is blocked.

I can't see.

Okay, everyone, open your notebooks.

I squint. I try to adjust. I try to make

it work because I don't want attention.

Emma, can you see the board clearly?

The room [music] gets quiet.

My heart drops

because now everyone is looking. [music]

Um,

not really.

>> [laughter]

>> Aw, of course she can't. Huh, she's too

short. My face burns.

I stare at my notebook like it can save

me.

That's enough.

The giggles stop.

Emma,

thank you for telling me.

That's not embarrassing.

That's normal.

Normal. [music]

I wish it felt normal.

We're going to fix this.

Jake and Omar,

can you switch seats with Emma?

Front row, please.

Why do we have to move?

Because everyone deserves to learn.

Now, please.

Jake sighs. Chairs scrape. Students

move.

My heart beats [music] so fast. Like the

whole room is watching me.

I walk to the front row.

I sit down carefully.

Better?

Yes, thank you. Good.

And class,

listen.

We do not laugh at someone's body.

Not height,

not weight,

not anything.

If you have a problem with that rule,

you can talk to me after class.

No one says anything.

I can finally see the board,

but my stomach still feels tight.

Mr. Harris starts teaching again.

All right, let's begin.

I take a breath. I hold my pencil

and I try to focus because I came here

to learn, not to feel small.

Picture day.

The day everyone stands in rows and

[music] the height difference becomes a

problem

again.

All right, everyone, tallest in the

back. Every year it's the same. Tall

students in the back, medium in the

middle, and me?

Uh, always somewhere awkward.

Wait. Emma can't go here.

Yeah, she'll disappear.

Just put her in the very front.

The very front?

>> [music]

>> Like a decoration.

Good. Now, kneel in front. Kneel?

Yes, please. We need to see everyone.

So, I kneel

in front of the whole class.

Like a little kid.

>> [laughter]

>> She looks like she's in kindergarten.

The camera flashes.

I smile,

but inside

something cracks.

After the photo, I walked into class

quickly,

kept my head down, and went straight to

my seat

because that was my thing.

But then,

>> [music]

>> Mr. Harris walked in with someone behind

him.

A girl.

I looked up,

and for some reason, everyone else did,

too.

Okay, everyone, settle down.

We have a new student joining us today.

This is Maya.

She just transferred here this week.

Let's make her feel welcome.

Hi.

She was tall.

Not just taller than me,

taller than almost everyone. [music]

She stood straight, calm,

confident, [music]

like she already belonged there,

and somehow that made me nervous.

Maya,

you can take the empty seat near [music]

Emma.

Near me?

Great.

Hi.

I'm Maya.

Hi.

I'm Emma.

Nice [music] to meet you, Emma.

You, too.

She sounded normal.

Too normal.

Not fake nice, not rude,

just

normal.

I didn't know what to do [music] with

that.

All right, open your notebooks,

everyone.

I tried to [music] focus,

really,

but I could feel Maya beside [music] me,

and I kept wondering,

was she going to ask weird questions?

Was she going to treat me like a child?

Was she going to look at me with that

face [music] people use when they feel

sorry for you?

I hated that face.

Can I ask you something?

Um

okay.

Do teachers here always give homework on

the first day?

What?

At my old school, they waited at least 2

days before making us suffer.

No.

They usually start on day one.

Wow.

That's cruel.

I looked at her again.

Maybe I was wrong.

Maybe she wasn't staring [music] at me

because I was short.

Maybe she was just trying to survive

school like everyone else.

Before you all leave, Emma,

could you please show Maya around during

break?

Just the library, cafeteria,

main hall, the basics.

Uh

sure.

Thanks.

That's cute.

The tallest girl in class and the

shortest girl in school.

What a team.

>> [laughter]

>> And

just like that,

the normal feeling was gone.

Is she always like that?

>> [sighs]

>> Mostly.

That must be exhausting.

You get used to it.

You shouldn't have to.

I looked at her.

Really looked at her.

People usually gave me one of two

things, [music]

pity

or jokes.

But her voice sounded different.

Calm,

simple,

honest,

and for the first time that day,

I didn't [music] feel quite so alone.

So, this is [music] the main hall.

The library is downstairs,

and the cafeteria

is over there.

Got it. Big school. A little confusing.

You'll get used to it.

Probably.

That probably

didn't sound very confident.

Because I'm not very confident.

Honest. I like that.

So, how long have you been here?

Since forever. And Lena, has she also

been here since forever?

Feels like it. She seems nice.

You know that's not true.

Yeah, I just wanted to see if you'd say

it.

>> [laughter]

>> Okay.

First lunch in a new school.

What's actually [music]

good here?

Honestly, not much.

Great.

Very encouraging.

I try.

Wow.

This is surprising.

The new girl is sitting with Emma?

That was fast.

Is there a problem?

No problem.

I just think it's cute.

Emma usually looks like she needs a

booster seat, not a lunch table.

>> [laughter]

>> Oh. There it was again.

That hot feeling in my [music] face.

That tight feeling in my chest.

I looked down at my tray.

Maybe if I stayed quiet, [music]

this moment would end faster.

Careful, Maya.

If you lose her in the hallway, just

check near the floor.

Can you just stop? Ah.

She talks.

That's enough.

Excuse me?

I said that's enough.

She's done nothing to you.

So, why do you keep bothering her?

Wow.

You've been here what, 1 day,

and now you're Emma's bodyguard?

No.

I just don't like mean people. It's none

of my business what you were clean but

jolly on there.

You don't even know her.

I know enough.

I know making fun of someone every day

doesn't make you funny.

It just makes you cruel.

Everything around me went still.

No laughs, no whispers, just silence.

[music]

Because no one had ever said that to

[music] Lena before.

Not like that.

Not in front of everyone.

Whatever. If Emma's so amazing, you can

keep her.

Gladly.

I didn't move. I didn't even breathe

properly.

I just [music]

sat there,

staring at my lunch, trying to

understand

>> [music]

>> what had just happened.

You okay?

Why did you do that? Because she was

being awful.

People usually just ignore it.

Well, I'm not people.

Thanks.

You don't have to thank me.

I'm still the shortest girl in school.

That didn't change.

People still notice me,

but now it feels different

because [music] I know being small

doesn't mean being weak.

And for the first time [music] in a long

time,

I didn't feel invisible.

And maybe that's something more people

need to understand.

Bullying someone is never [music] funny.

Mocking someone for how they look is

never okay.

It doesn't matter if someone is short,

tall, quiet, different, or simply not

like you.

No one deserves to be laughed at.

No one deserves to be made to feel

small.

We all have feelings. We all want to be

accepted.

And we all deserve kindness.

Maybe I was never too small.

Maybe some people were just too careless

[music] with their words.

But one kind voice can change

everything. [music]

And that day,

I finally started [music] to believe in

mine.