By Shannon Doyne and Natalie Proulx
Dec. 2, 2025 NYTimes
Have you ever struggled with confidence? If so, have you ever had an experience that helped you learn to believe in yourself more?
Maybe it was learning or getting better at a skill, like photography or soccer. Maybe it was taking on a big responsibility, as in working a job or caring for your family pet. Or perhaps it was succeeding at something that once scared you, such as speaking in front of a crowd or making new friends.
What did you learn from this experience? How did it change you?
In “At a Queens Surf School, Kids’ Confidence Comes in Waves,” Aimee Ortiz writes about a surfing program for children in New York City that, for some students, “changed everything.” The article begins:
Ask Claudia Acuña about Louis Harris and the East Coast chapter of the Black Surfing Association, and she’ll tell you they “saved my kid’s life.”
For the last five years, Ms. Acuña and her son, Daniel Kelley, 14, have been part of a community that Mr. Harris built in Rockaway Beach, Queens.
Mr. Harris, 53, founded the chapter in 2016. The nonprofit, which is funded through donations and corporate sponsorships, offers free surfing lessons on summer weekend mornings and equipment to any child who shows up.
Parents whose children Mr. Harris has taught say his efforts have transformed their children’s lives.
Among them is Daniel. His mother, Ms. Acuña, said her son was depressed in the summer of 2020, dealing with the pandemic and bullying, when Mr. Harris’s surf school provided a lifeline.
The program “completely changed everything,” she said, adding that Daniel blossomed and his confidence soared. “As a mother,” she said, “it’s the most beautiful gift that any mother can have.”
Many children of color are not accustomed to seeing “surfers that look like them, that look like Mr. Lou,” Ms. Acuña said, referring to Mr. Harris, who is Black.
Mr. Harris, she added, had set an example as a positive male role model, noting that he had taught her son about masculinity “with the tenderness and the softness of the water.”
The article continues:
Suzanne Cope said the surf school has taught her son, Rocco, 12, “to fail over and over again” while still wanting “to go back and do the same thing to try and get better.” There are few opportunities for children “to really learn that kind of grit,” she said.
Students, read the entire article and then tell us:
- Have you ever had an experience that helped improve your confidence, as learning to surf did for these children? If so, what was it, and how did it change you? If not, does the article inspire you to try something new?
- How important are role models like Mr. Harris, the surf coach? Have you ever met someone — or looked up to someone from afar — who helped you believe in yourself? What did you learn from that person?
- One mother said that surfing had taught her son “to fail over and over again” while still wanting “to go back and do the same thing to try and get better.” What is the value in learning to fail and then get back up and try again? Have you ever had an experience like that?
- How confident of a person are you? If you’re working on building up your confidence, what is one activity or experience you might like to try to help support your self-image? How do you think it would help?