Fear is a big thing. Fear can become an obstacle for even the most talented of people. Fear can change the course of your life. Although not all people are scared of the same thing, with some people having even the craziest fears, such as Anatidaephobia (fear that a duck is watching you), Arachibutyrophobia (fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth), and Omphalophobia (fear of belly buttons). But what are the biggest fears of middle schoolers? Here are some of the most common:

1. SNAKES, SPIDERS, AND BUGS OH MY!

Out of the 20 people interviewed, 8 people said their biggest fear was a creepy crawly of some sort. According to Mrs. O'Hara, P.E. Coach, snakes are the absolute worst. “They don’t have legs, and that freaks me out.” While Camille Rotherham, 7th grade, says that bugs are the worst, “They are too freaky for me.”

2. Losing someone that you love

The thought of losing someone close is very terrifying for many people, but out of the 20 people interviewed, 3 said that it was the scariest thing life had to bring. As scary as that can be, however, many people face this every day, so it is important to be kind to the people going through this.

3. Heights

Imagine if you will, you open your eyes to find you are standing on the edge of a platform high in the sky, with nothing to stop you from plummeting to the earth below. For many, this is absolutely terrifying. Mrs. Henrikson, 6th-grade science, says this, “I’m pretty sure in my past life I was pushed off a cliff.” By this, she means that this is why she is most afraid of heights.

4. Injuries 

Getting hurt is not a good thing, but many people say their biggest fear is getting hurt badly. Paisley Campos, 7th grader, says this: “Breaking bones just sounds weird and feels weird, and broken bones change life.” Commenting that her biggest fear is Traumatophobia (fear of breaking bones).

5. Other

While there are many other fears, the majority of the survey said fears that most people would never think of. According to Mr. Hirsch, futures teacher, Elevators are the worst: “Only stairs, if I am at a hotel, I will only take the stairs.” While Ms. Tara, in the health office, says, “My biggest fear is probably when the Gaga Pit was on concrete.” Elaborating that Gaga Pits are very scary, but only while on concrete. 

While there are many other fears, these are the most common according to the people randomly interviewed. Fear can be a great and terrible thing, but sometimes it can be slightly funny, at what people are scared of, but it is very important to be cautious when someone is telling you about their greatest fear.

Rough bristles glided across the blank slate. Green grass sprouted from the void with flowers of multiple colors. Seeds fell to the ground as trees sprouted from the Earth. Gently and smoothly, multicolored strands swept across the white slate, creating the night sky. White splatters of all different sizes spread across the darkness. The bristles turned and swayed, creating a grey-white hole in the corner of it all. A single stroke scraped across the green, shaping two silhouettes of a woman and a man. The first humans.  

“It is good,” the creator said to himself as he watched the flowers bloom and the tree blossoms grow along each branch. As the ground trembled before the mountains as they rose to the east and west. As the animals howled and roamed. As humans crafted, created, and destroyed. A single stroke can change everything.