Where the Red Fern Grows

Flights of Fancy Look at the birds in the sky; they have complete control over where they go and when they go. Humans can’t fly, but that doesn’t stop us from trying in stories. The most obvious example of this would be Superman. Anyone who has ever been a child during and after the Gen X age, knows who Superman is. A man with no boundaries, no constraints, no limits, just miles of open, blue sky. As children, we didn’t really pay attention as to what it actually meant. It just looked cool. But,

Katherine Paterson’s novel, Bridge to Terabithia, is a heartfelt story about the friendship of two young outcasts. However, do to the harsh language and emotional plot line, there is often debate about where the book fits in curriculum. Every state has its own policies that define what material is appropriate for particular grade levels, but in the state of Alabama, I believe Bridge to Terabithia should be introduced in the fifth grade. Bridge to Terabithia is about a young boy named Jess who feels

for dependent children as a duty under law. In 1853, Charles Loring Brace, a minister, founded the Children's Aid Society in New York City. Brace saw many immigrant children sleeping in the streets. Brace started the Orphan Train Movement which is where over 150,000 orphaned children in New York City were sent by train to farms across the country, primarily in the Midwest. Nevertheless, as the emphasis was on giving abandoned and abused children a family life, Brace's system became the foundation

“Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are,” (Cooley). Reading has impacted us in many ways throughout our lives. Often time’s books give people different perspectives on their lives. People with high stress levels often find comfort in reading books to take their mind off of their concerns. Sometimes, people just need to take a step back from their life and relax for a while; therefore, reading is a great tool. Reading all kinds of books has also helped me become a better

“Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are,” (Cooley). Throughout our lives, reading has impacted us in many ways. Often times books give people different perspectives on their lives. People with high stress levels often find comfort in reading books to take their mind off of their concerns. Sometimes, people just need to take a step back from their lives and relax for a while; therefore, reading is a great tool. In fact, all kinds of books have also helped me become a better

helped. I have never been a great writer. My literary journey has three main parts, reading, speeches, and writing. The biggest one by far is reading. My story starts with going on family trips, we would listen to cassette tapes such as, Where the Red Fern Grows, What Love Sees, and On My Honor. Every time I would listen to them it felt as if I was living right along with them. To this day they still are some of my favorite to listen to. Listening to

Coed classes and schools have always been the norm for majority of students across the country, many may not even know or even consider that there is another option. Single-sex education. In simple terms this when classes/schools are separated by gender, all the girls are together and all the boys are together. Some say this is a better alternative than coed teaching, but I don’t agree with that. Not just because it’s my personal opinion but because there is proven evidence that there are no more

across my face. As I crawled, I heard leaves rustling ahead of me. Suddenly, I felt drops of rain landing on my back. I continued moving until I couldn’t see the house at all. Then, I decided to lay on the ground to take a break to catch my breath. Ferns surrounded me. They swayed in the breeze as the rain drizzled down. My legs were suddenly grabbed and my entire body was yanked across the soft grass. Before I could scream, I saw his face. He was smiling playfully. “Tag, you’re it,” he whispered

worries (first graders with homework? Yeah right) then I eat dinner, and get ready for bed. My parents tuck me in and begin to read me a story from my favorite author at the time. Dr. Seuss. The rhyming and the pictures and the one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish. How does he come up with this stuff? Pure genius. Even after my parents turn off my room light, I sneak some light from my game boy and read more because I just can’t wait for the next night to read again. These were my first memories

an adult is more of an unspoken agreement where we no longer must worry about them needing our parents help. I am not sure that the rest of my family has this perspective on when they become an adult, but this is my own personal rite of passage and I would not consider a sibling an adult unless they could do so. I consider the usual rituals, such as getting a license, going to high school, dating, and getting a job to be more of a step up a ladder where adulthood is at the top. I have siblings that