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"#$%&'()( Kaitlyn Kubacki Professor Mia Eaker ENGL 1101-073 26 September 2013 Re-think your Aversion Towards Reading and Writing It has taken 18 long years to get to the literacy level of a freshman college student. If I had to describe those 18 years, I would say they are like Interstate 485 during 5 oclock rush hour. Cars are bumper to bumper with horns blearing and cars cutting into other lanes of traffic. The cars on Interstate 485 represent the students along my eighteen-year journey; we are all trying to reach the same destination. Every car at 5 oclock just wants to get home to their family; likewise, every student wants to obtain the most out of their education. However, just like there are bumps along Interstate 485, there were bumps in my 18-years of literacy growth. Occasionally, I would hit a roadblock, but there was always my rescue team that rerouted me so that I could continue driving. My literacy rescue team included my parents and a few of my teachers over the past years. They inspired me to keep driving or in this instance, writing. You should never let there animosity towards the art of reading and writing keep them from being creative, getting lost in another world, or making a good grade. Reading and writing have never been on my list of hobbies. However, looking back it was not all reading and writing that I disliked. It was just certain types of reading and writing. I remember loving to do a creative writing assignment, or read a book of my choosing; at the time it would have been non-fiction books. My favorite writing assignment was during my third grade year at Endy Elementary School. My English teacher, Mrs. Furr, told us that we were going to be real life authors. Our assignment was to write a short childrens book. The best part about this

!"#$%&'(*( assignment, and also the reason we were going to be real life authors, was because a publishing company was going to publish our books. Most kids this age dreamed of marrying rich, being an NFL star, or inventing a robot that can do your homework for you without your teacher or parents finding out. My dream always has been to be the President of the United States of America, and then just as quickly as that thought went through my mind, I had my topic for my book. The idea of me being President of The United States had me perplexed. What would I try to accomplish while being President? Who would I have to campaign against? Would I ever come close to pleasing the American people? Then again, I thought to myself, all of these questions do not matter; I am the author of this book, so for once, I get to make the story line however I want to. The first item on my agenda is to find my favorite lunch lady, Ms. Hinkle, a husband, I wrote. Ms. Hinkle loved to dance, so her partner had to be a good dancer and have a passion for food like she did. That night when I told my parents about my English class assignment, the room was filled with almost as much excitement as Christmas morning. My mom helped me brainstorm my corruptive government decisions that I would make while being in office. After a day or so of procrastinating on other homework, I finished my book. I had never felt more proud in my life! I was officially an author. Nothing felt better than to get my book back 3 weeks later with a hardcover on it. The book smelled like a newspaper coming right off the press. It was my pride and joy! That moment when I inhaled the fragrance of those newly printed pages and read the book like it was my first time, was when I realized I didnt hate reading and writing. One thing that I had in common with many famous authors was that we wrote a book for the same reason. Most authors have a purpose, usually to connect with the reader in some way. My purpose happened to be to entertain the reader. Barbara Park was my favorite childrens

!"#$%&'(+( author at the time. She wrote in detail and with lots of dialogue and humorous mischief. Barbara Park wrote a series of Junie B. Jones books, that I never would put down. As soon as I picked one up, I had to finish it! The title of her books sparked my interest; Junie B. Jones is (almost) a Flower Girl, Junie B. Jones is Captain Field Day, and Junie B. Jones Smells Something Fishy were just a few of my favorites. Junie B. was a character that I could connect with, as she was very funny. Junie B. had a teacher that she called Mrs., one of my favorite lines from Junie B. Jones Smells Something Fishy is: Just then, Mrs. Grabbed me by my spenders. Spenders is the grownup word for the straps that hold your pants up. If you pull off the spenders-boom-the pants fall down(Park, 3). After reading through my second book, my mom started reading them with me; it was a new way for us to bond. I was a sucker for falling into the world of Junie B. Jones. In fact, I got so lost in Junie B.s world, that I often couldnt hear anything going on around me. My mom would have to take the book away from me, so I would do my chores. Junie's world seemed so much better than mine. Sure she had issues in her life, but she got away with so much more than I did. Junie B. Jones made me want to read; she gave me a whole new world that I was addicted to. As Junie B. Jones inspired me to read, likewise did my English teacher in ninth grade. I had begun to hate reading and writing again, until Dr. Broome assigned a research paper. Dr. Broome was like the teacher from the Matilda movie at first, minus the closet situation. Matilda was a cute little elementary school girl who attended a run downed and old brick school. There was one teacher who scared every student, because rumor had it that she put all the kids in a dark closet that had nails coming out of the walls. The closet was called the Chokie. All the students were scared of her. She looked scary; she was taller and had a bad reputation around the school. She ended up being an angel from heaven, once I warmed up to her. She saved me from the

!"#$%&'(,( teacher known as the bully around school. Mr. Walter chose to bully kids in a different way than most bullies. Instead of shoving kids in lockers, taking their lunches, or giving them wedgies he would emotionally harass students in his class. Mr. Walterss World History class was mandatory; there was no getting around him. His tests were hard, and he penalized kids for little mistakes. Little mistakes like saying we speak American, would haunt me for the rest of my high school career. Once when you got on Mr. Walters bad side, there was no going back. Dr. Broome and Mr. Walter decided to collaborate on a research project. Certain parts of the assignment would count towards your English grade and your World History grade. I chose a topic that I was passionate about, that dealt with history and would improve my writing skills. I slaved hard trying to research and type a ten-page paper. The sense of accomplishment one gets when they finish a two-page paper just increased by five. I spent countless hours researching, proof reading, and typing until my fingers felt like they were going to fall off. I was proud of that paper, and at least deserved a C letter grade for effort. I remember the moment like it was yesterday, when my world stopped turning. That happened to be when Mr. Walter handed our research papers back in class. I flipped to the last page, and my heart sunk when I saw that number written in bold, red ink. The number 59 was circled on my paper. The only other red ink on my paper was Mr. Walters reason for giving me 59. I remember seeing the word plagiarized in the sentence, but I dont remember much after that. I ran out of the room angry and confused to find Dr. Broome. She had proof read my paper several times, and if anybody could catch plagiarism, it was her. I was in complete shock but I was more devastated than anything. This grade counted for majority of my grade for both my English and my World History classes. Devastated was an understatement of my emotions. Dr. Broome saw the distraught in my face and realized why when her eyes saw the circled 59. Dr.

!"#$%&'(-( Broome worked her magic and put one of her many hats on, this one happened to be her defense lawyer hat. She marched straight up to Mr. Walters room and backed up my case. She explained to him that she proofed the paper several times and even typed a few sentences from every paragraph into a certain computer program that checks for plagiarism, and nothing had come up as plagiarized material. She got my grade changed to a D letter grade, which was better than an F. Mr. Walter wouldnt change my grade to anything higher, and I personally believe it was because he was too stubborn. He didnt like to be proven wrong. I would still pass the class, but the main reason I was happy was because Mr. Walter learned a lesson that day. He learned that he couldnt bully every student in that school. I liked to read and write, but Mr. Walter ruined it for me. I researched a passion of mine, and all I wanted was a decent grade to pass his class. Even though I thought I hated reading and writing, I never let Mr. Walter stand in my way of getting a good grade. I thought I hated all types of writing, but it turned out, after becoming President of The United States in third grade, I like creative writing. Who knew someone who hated to read, would fall in love with an author or a certain character and read their whole series of books. Driving a car may not be for everybody, but dont rule out reading and writing before you have tried it all. Just because you dont like a certain type of literature, doesnt mean you should give up on it. Literature, reading and writing are essential to life!

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Works Cited
Park, Barbara. Junie B. Jones Smells Something Fishy. Random House Books for Young Readers, 11-17-98. Print.