Reading and Writing: Are they really
that exciting?
By: Kevin McCartney
CHARGE!!!!! And Earth’s last stand
had begun. Have you ever read something
that has transported you to another world, a different time, or in the midst of
battle? Great authors can make you feel
the rush, the excitement, and the adrenaline.
A good book can ignite your imagination.
It’s for this very reason that I enjoy reading. I love reading books that have the power to
send my mind off on an adventure into an alternate dimension.
When I was in the first grade I
wasn’t a very good reader and my teacher made sure I knew it. I felt so inadequate. Reading was as terrible as getting my teeth
drilled. As a result, my mom had me
repeat the first grade. When I went in
on the first day of school, I was prepared for round two with this most
horrible teacher. I even had the same
classroom. But to my surprise, I had a
new teacher. She was encouraging,
inspiring, and just plain wonderful. She
was actually on TV for the Reading Rainbow.
Her name was Ms. Harriet Smith.
Yes, I still remember this wonderful lady.
Reading became my life and I loved
every second of it. As I went through
school, the books got bigger, the plots more intriguing, and the adventures awe
inspiring. I remember earning the golden
library card in the fifth grade which enabled me to check out three books at a
time. What an accomplishment that
was! I felt like Charlie from Willy
Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. In the
seventh grade, I was finally able to finish reading the Harry Potter series.
As much as I love reading, writing is
a whole different story. I have to write
an essay? AHHHH!!!!! It’s like the
bubonic plague. Having to write to me is
a fate worse than death. My disdain
toward writing started when I was in the third grade when I had to write a
letter to my pen pal in a foreign country.
When I got the assignment I thought, this is so cool. How many people can really say they get to
write to someone in another country? Really,
how many? I went home and was beaming
with excitement. I finished my letter
that very night and turned it in the next day.
Half-way through the day, my teacher came over to me and to my astonishment
she told me I had to re-write the letter!
I thought no big deal I can
re-write it and turn it in, again, the very next day. Just like before, my teacher came to me and I
had to re-write it, again! I couldn’t
believe what was going on. I had to
write that stupid letter ten times!!! I
was in utter disbelief.
I know that teachers must teach and a
part of that is helping their students critic their work. But as a kid, it feels like they are sucking
the life out of my brain.