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My
flu, or whatever it was that made me so
sick last week, is over so I went back to
school today. I wish I hadn't. I haven't
been talking about it much, but I have
been working on my play for our project,
and of course I've been keeping up with
the journal part of the assignment, but
here's the thing, I've been wondering why
Ms. Phipps hasn't exactly been telling us
when any of this is due. I mean, I'm the
kind of person who likes to know how much
time I have to get something done. I don't
like to leave things for the last minute,
that justs creates stress, and besides, my
parents have transmitted this heavy duty
cultural ethic on me that "Education is
what you put into it." I know it sounds
completely dorky, but I can't help it.
I've been brainwashed, or programmed or
something. I just can't NOT care of school
and grades and stuff like that.
Anyway,
we have English right after lunch and I
had made up my mind to tell Chaz about
Elvin (I wasn't exactly sure what I was
going to say. It's not like I'm in love
with this guy in London or anything, but I
was thinking that if the situation were
reversed, I would definitely appreciate it
if Chaz would tell me what was going on.)
But Chaz wasn't in English. Someone said
he had a dentist appointment and was gone
for the day. Bummer! I was really wanting
to get this thing out in the open. I've
been feeling like a little sneak, or
something, and while I don't mind keeping
stuff from my parents... (That's not
exactly true. It bothers me a little bit
to hide stuff from them; it doesn't bother
me a whole lot.) But it does bother me to
keep things from my friends. Especially
from Chaz, because he really is important
to me and I've been feeling so guilty
about Elvin.
But
he wasn't in English, so I couldn't tell
him anything. And Ms. Phipps wasn't there
either. Instead, there was this sub named
Mr. Unger. Actually, he says that he's not
a sub, he's going to be our new English
teacher for the rest of the year!
Apparently Ms. Phipps is on "medical
leave." (I heard from JoAnn that she heard
that the truth is that Ms. Phipps is
pregnant and that she had already had one
miscarriage last summer so her doctor
ordered her to stay in bed is she wanted
to keep this one.
Anyway,
Mr. Unger told us that his interest is in
great literature. "How can you hope to
know anything about writing if you don't
read great writing first? So for the rest
of the year we're going to be
concentrating on great works of
literature, like Dickens, Tolstoy, Dumas
and Cervantes." That sounded fine with me.
I love to read! And he started passing out
paperback copies of "A Tale of Two
Cities." (I read it during the summer
between 7th and 8th grade, but it was so
wonderful, I don't mind reading it
again.
Just
as people were writing their names inside
the books, someone asked Mr. Unger when
our journal projects and the plays we were
writing were due. And that's when he said
something so absolutely incredibly
insensitive that I still can't believe it.
He said," Since most of you probably
haven't even started the projects that Ms.
Phipps assigned several months ago, you
are in luck. I am hereby cancelling that
project. For tonight's homework, read the
first chapter of Tale of Two Cities. Class
dismissed."
Most
of the kids cheered but not me. I was in
shock! What about all the time I'd already
put into writing that play? What about the
fact that first it was Dee's idea we were
going to do and if it hadn't been for Chaz
admitting that he lied about liking her
play he and I wouldn't even have become
friends! And the play itself, it had a
great story and a great message! I wanted
the kids in the class to really understand
what it's like to be an Outsider! And the
characters, I feel like a mother who was
just told she had to abandon her
children.
And
what about this journal? I didn't want to
write in it at first, I didn't want to
work with Dee and Miguel and Chaz, but I
did, and now I just can't imagine dropping
all of that. I mean, Tale of Two Cities is
great and everything, but if you want to
be a writer, like I do, you've gotta
write. So I don't give a whatever if the
project has been officially (or even
unofficially) cancelled. The other kids
may be thrilled not to have to do this
anymore, but it's important to me. I don't
give a damn about Mr. Unger! I'm going to
keep on writing!
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