Embarrassment is an emotion that projects shame and guilt about oneself. According to an article on Psychology today, titled The Psychology of Embarrassment it is a self conscious emotion. It is caused by negative thoughts or perspectives in one’s mind.
Being embarrassed makes you more conscious of social norms and what is going on around you. It is a feeling of humiliation and discomfort in yourself or your actions. In the article The Psychology of Embarrassment, “Embarrassment is a response to something that threatens our projected image.”
Being embarrassed can commonly be mistaken for a bad thing, when it isn’t always bad. For example, one might get embarrassed when someone compliments them making them the center of attention. One might also feel embarrassed for another person, acting as an act of empathy.
According to the article titled “Embarrassment” by Psychology Today, the feeling of embarrassment might raise deeper emotions within. Such as anxiety, panic, or even premonition, which is a disorder where one focuses on just negative thoughts, reminiscing on bad moments.
One small moment might be the most embarrassing thing to you, but to others it can just be a small mistake that never crosses one’s mind again.
At Morgan, there are 183 days in a school year. Within those 183 days, many people have felt embarrassed for various reasons. Two students and two teachers were interviewed about their most embarrassing moments in school.
Savannah Stewart, is a junior at Morgan, and she took a tumble up the stairs on her first day after moving from North Branford. It was her first day of her sophomore year and she was walking up the main staircase in the lower hub, when she tripped on the top step and fell. This was during a passing period, so there were many students watching. She later dropped her water bottle, which spilled everywhere, as well as some of her other school supplies, that “flew everywhere.” 
“I remember feeling really embarrassed because I didn’t know anyone and because it was my first day I was trying to make a good impression,” she said.
During Gabriella Santello’s freshman year, she was helping a friend get ready by curling her hair in the bathroom for the school play; Mamma Mia, where she performed as a character in the ensemble. She mistakenly grabbed the curling iron while it was still hot. She ended up burning her whole palm the day before opening night. She had to run around to find Mrs. Robinson so that she could get ice for her palm.
“Everyone was staring at me, and asking me if I was okay, and it was so embarrassing, but it was good to know that people cared,” she said.
These moments don’t only happen to students though, teachers have embarrassing moments all the time. Mr. Moran, is a math teacher here at Morgan. At his old school, in Madison, called The Grove School he was teaching math class when the phone rang. The call ended up being rather important, and he had to tell the person on the other line some personal information, including his address. Despite whispering, his students happened to listen in, and got ahold of his address, and started sending him letters, telling him that they know where he lives. 
“I felt kind of weird about this because people now knew where I lived, and they were sending me letters,” said Moran.
Mr. Sylvia, Morgan’s art teacher, recalls a moment that “wasn’t embarrassing, but [where he] still wanted to fade away into the darkness.” One of his students had just finished a wonderful clay sculpture that was beach themed with a palm tree sprouting from it. When he went to transport it to the room, a piece fell off. Sylvia over compensated to catch the falling piece and in the process he dropped the entire sculpture.
“I remember feeling absolutely mortified, but the student was forgiving,” he said. Thankfully he was able to piece it back together.
Embarrassment is a feeling that everybody feels during their lifetime. This feeling shapes us to who we are today.
