Narrative Essay Model Text: My Most Embarrassing Moment

(TESOL Worksheets--Writing)

Worksheet: docs, pub

[The activity around this model text is Match the Sentences in the Paragraph to their Function.  In my classes, I used this worksheet so supplement Q: Skills for Success: Reading and Writing 4 Unit 3 Writing Skill: Writing a Narrative Essay and Varying Sentence Patterns p.81-86.

This story is a slightly exaggerated, but only slightly, version of a true story that happened to me back in my Calvin College days.]

College was a wonderful time for me.  I have a lot of fond memories from my college days.  But I also have a few memories that I regret.  These are invariably memories in which I acted selfishly, or treated other people rudely.  One of the reasons I regret these times is because I’ve learned that when you act selfish or rude, you invariably end up embarrassing yourself.  My most embarrassing moment happened to me in college because of my rude behavior, and it taught me a lesson that I will never forget.

It all began at lunchtime on a Friday afternoon at the school cafeteria.  I had just finished a long week of classes, and I was anxious to leave school as quickly as possible so that I could meet my friends.  But I was also incredibly hungry, and I thought it wouldn’t be a good idea to meet my friends on an empty stomach.  So I decided to swing by the school cafeteria and grab some lunch first.  The problem was that the line at the cafeteria was very long, and it was moving terribly slowly.  So there I was, impatient to get going, but stuck in a long slow line in the school cafeteria.    

By the time I got to the front of the line, I was really impatient, and this impatience ended up causing a disaster.  I grabbed a lunch tray off of the counter, and hurriedly gestured to the food.  The cafeteria lady quickly put some spaghetti and tomato sauce onto my plate.  Without even saying thank you, I grabbed my lunch tray, and immediately turned around so that I could get to a table as quickly as possible.  Unfortunately, as I whirled around, I collided with the girl in line behind me, who was stepping forward to get her own lunch.  My plate slid off of my lunch tray, and hit her chest.  The red tomato sauce from my spaghetti spilled all over her clean white shirt.  Because of my impatience, I had ruined her shirt.

I should have apologized immediately to her, but instead I made the situation worse by trying to walk away.  There was about ten seconds immediately following the spill when neither of us knew what to say.   She was looking down at the mess on her shirt, and I knew that she was too shocked to say anything.  I also knew that I should apologize to her, but I felt too embarrassed to speak.  In that moment, it occurred to me that if I just walked away, I could just leave this embarrassing situation, and I wouldn’t have to say anything to her.  I put my head down, and started walking towards the door.  But as I was leaving, the cafeteria lady called out to me.  “Oh, it’s okay dear,” she said.  “You can get some more food.”  At first, I pretended I didn’t hear her, and I just kept walking.  But then she called out to me again in a louder voice.  By now, everyone in the cafeteria was looking at me.  I stopped walking, hesitated briefly, unsure of what to do, and then just walked back to the lunch counter. I kept my head down, looking at the floor, and trying not to make eye contact with anyone.  My face was burning red.  I could feel the eyes of the girl with the white shirt glaring at me, but I didn’t dare look at her.  I took another lunch tray from the rack, and waited while the cafeteria lady served me another plate of spaghetti.  Then, with everyone watching me, I took that new plate of spaghetti over to an empty table.  I sat down, and ate by myself.  As I ate alone, I reflected to myself that I had only increased my embarrassment by attempting to leave without apologizing.

After that happened, I wanted to never return to the school cafeteria.  But as there was nowhere else to eat on campus, I had no choice.  I had to continue to eat my lunch there every day for the rest of the school year.  Every time I went to the cafeteria, I was reminded of what had happened to me that Friday afternoon.  As a result of this, I learned that I should never be impatient.  I learned that I should always wait in line calmly for my food, and not be in a rush.  I have tried to carry this lesson with me throughout the rest of my life, and always be careful and patient in everything I do.

Introduction

Set the scene for the reader (the time and place)

Transition to Thesis Statement

Thesis Statement (Why this story is memorable and important)

Body Paragraph 1

Topic Sentence (What is this paragraph about)

Event 1

Event 2

Concluding sentence (summarize the main events in the paragraph)

Body Paragraph 2

Topic Sentence (What is this paragraph about)

Event 1

Event 2

Event 3

Concluding sentence (summarize the main events in the paragraph)

Body Paragraph 3

Topic Sentence (What is this paragraph about)

Event 1

Event 2

Event 3

Event 4

Event 5

Event 6

Event 7

Concluding sentence (summarize the main events in the paragraph)

Conclusion

What happened following this incident

What did I learn from this incident

College was a wonderful time for me.  I have a lot of fond memories from my college days.

But I also have a few memories that I regret.  These are invariably memories in which I acted selfishly, or treated other people rudely.  One of the reasons I regret these times is because I’ve learned that when you act selfish or rude, you invariably end up embarrassing yourself.

My most embarrassing moment happened to me in college because of my rude behavior, and it taught me a lesson that I will never forget.

It all began at lunchtime on a Friday afternoon at the school cafeteria.

I had just finished a long week of classes, and I was anxious to leave school as quickly as possible so that I could meet my friends.  But I was also incredibly hungry, and I thought it wouldn’t be a good idea to meet my friends on an empty stomach.

So I decided to swing by the school cafeteria and grab some lunch first.  The problem was that the line at the cafeteria was very long, and it was moving terribly slowly.

So there I was, impatient to get going, but stuck in a long slow line in the school cafeteria.

By the time I got to the front of the line, I was really impatient, and this impatience ended up causing a disaster.

I grabbed a lunch tray off of the counter, and hurriedly gestured to the food.  The cafeteria lady quickly put some spaghetti and tomato sauce onto my plate.

Without even saying thank you, I grabbed my lunch tray, and immediately turned around so that I could get to a table as quickly as possible.  Unfortunately, as I whirled around, I collided with the girl in line behind me, who was stepping forward to get her own lunch.

My plate slid off of my lunch tray, and hit her chest.  The red tomato sauce from my spaghetti spilled all over her clean white shirt.

Because of my impatience, I had ruined her shirt.

I should have apologized immediately to her, but instead I made the situation worse by trying to walk away.

There was about ten seconds immediately following the spill when neither of us knew what to say.   She was looking down at the mess on her shirt, and I knew that she was too shocked to say anything.

I also knew that I should apologize to her, but I felt too embarrassed to speak.  In that moment, it occurred to me that if I just walked away, I could just leave this embarrassing situation, and I wouldn’t have to say anything to her.

I put my head down, and started walking towards the door.  But as I was leaving, the cafeteria lady called out to me.  “Oh, it’s okay dear,” she said.  “You can get some more food.”  At first, I pretended I didn’t hear her, and I just kept walking.

But then she called out to me again in a louder voice.  By now, everyone in the cafeteria was looking at me.

I stopped walking, hesitated briefly, unsure of what to do, and then just walked back to the lunch counter. I kept my head down, looking at the floor, and trying not to make eye contact with anyone.

My face was burning red.  I could feel the eyes of the girl with the white shirt glaring at me, but I didn’t dare look at her.

I took another lunch tray from the rack, and waited while the cafeteria lady served me another plate of spaghetti.  Then, with everyone watching me, I took that new plate of spaghetti over to an empty table.  I sat down, and ate by myself.

As I ate alone, I reflected to myself that I had only increased my embarrassment by attempting to leave without apologizing.

After that happened, I wanted to never return to the school cafeteria.  But as there was nowhere else to eat on campus, I had no choice.  I had to continue to eat my lunch there every day for the rest of the school year.  Every time I went to the cafeteria, I was reminded of what had happened to me that Friday afternoon.

As a result of this, I learned that I should never be impatient.  I learned that I should always wait in line calmly for my food, and not be in a rush.  I have tried to carry this lesson with me throughout the rest of my life, and always be careful and patient in everything I do.