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Reflecting on My Experiences with English and Writing!

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Submitted By cierralatalia
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Growing up, I had always enjoyed reading and writing. English had never been a problem for me so much as math had been. I had a love for literature. I've always loved reading books. You'd have to pull me away just so I'd put one down. So you can imagine when my fourth grade teacher Ms. Lux said, “you possibly could be held back another year, because you're not performing well in English.” My heart had dropped within that moment. I felt as if I were a failure. I felt as if I, me, someone who had a love for English, was not good enough. I could not understand. I felt rejected. How could I, someone who had enjoyed reading so much, be told that I may not be going to the fifth grade, because of my English scores? I felt in every ounce of my bones that that accusation could not have been right. It was preposterous. She put me through a series of English tests. Testing my abilities from comprehension to grammar, I felt that that this was unfair. I felt that she was singling me out. For what reason I have no clue to this day. Now I had always been a well-behaved kid. I never got into much trouble during my youth years. From the moment I entered her classroom, I felt as If she had a personal vendetta against me. Why was this happening to me? I cried myself into one of the greatest stories I had ever read. It was of the most intriguing adventurous stories ever. Ten year old Moon Blake learns how to survive on his own after his beloved father “Pap” dies, leaving him to fend for himself in the forest of Alabama. The two of them lived self-sufficient in a homemade shelter for the last nine years. Before Moon's father died, he was taught to never trust anyone. He was taught to fear the outside world. He promises his father that he would go to Alaska. “There you will find others like you living off the land,” his father said (Key 45). Moon soon finds out that he will not be going too far as he deals with fighting the law, being sent to a group home, and later escaping with two other boys, Hal and Kit, who have stuck by his side ever since he arrived at the group home. Throughout his journey, he learns that human beings are a wonderfully flawed group and some can be trusted while others cannot.
In all stories, writers want their readers to be able to connect with their characters. As I was reading this story, I felt like I could connect with Moon. As he was dealing with his father's death, running away from the law, and going to a group home, I was dealing with things and people in my life that could make decisions that could have altered my future forever. I sank myself into this story finding myself connecting with this character even more. Instead of rebelling, and running away from the situation I was in, I faced it head on. My mom enrolled me into a program called the Kumon Center. It was a structured self-learning program that provides students with critical thinking skills and a mindset to learn new materials independently. The Kumon Center went above and beyond the results that you would get in your traditional schools. This program advanced my abilities to a whole other level for my grade and age. In fact, many students who attend Kumon are students above grade level.
After leaving the Kumon Center, I was put through the same series of tests once again at my elementary school. These tests assessed my abilities, from comprehension to grammar. I tested way above my level, and everyone that was in my class. I was so proud of myself. I was proud not only because I definitely would be going to the fifth grade, but also because I proved my teacher, the one who was trying to hold me back a grade level, that I had did it, and without any help from her. Of course the school was so amazed at my scores, they were convinced that she had something to do with it, so they promoted her from a teacher to an advanced reading coach. In fact, she had nothing to do with my accomplishments. Now I don't know if this experience has shaped me as a better writer, but I do know that it has advanced my skills, when I was younger and has made me a more, well-rounded English student. In the end Moon overcame all of his struggles despite the roadblocks he faced, and so did I.

Works Cited

Key Jr., Albert Watkins. Alabama Moon. 2006. New York: Square Fish, 2010. Print.

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