It's called "The Fifth Grade Gruels". The prompt was "Write a composition about a time you overcame a fear." Here's the essay (to the best of my memory):
'Twas a cold winter day in February 2005. I, a fifth grade student then, sat in my desk in math and science class in LBJ Elementary - as a typical teacher's worst teacher's pet peeve. Flimsy report card grades, and numerous conduct marks on my conduct report accompanied my school year. Also, weekly detentions became a part of my school life. I became the filthy rat of the entire school.
Adding to the problem were two fifth grade boys in my class, the "fifth grade gruels" - Caleb Lancaster and Jensen Riley, who both consistently bombarded me with their relentless insults and snide remarks. Every time I blew my top at them, it always landed me in the dog house, and yet another conduct mark. Worst of all, no one ever seemed to care or even see what these boys were doing to me. No one ever once intervened.
As I now sat at the same desk, behind Caleb and Jensen, those two boys started their antics again - contorting their mouse-like faces into grotesque, mocking expressions directed at me. Those two boys became like relentless flies returning to bother me, the innocent horse, even as I hissed, "Stop it!" over and over.
Finally, enough was enough. The snapped horse began to buck within me as I raised my fingers and snapped them at Caleb - anything to stop such insolence!
Caleb saw my snapping fingers, and gave out a loud, shocked gasp.
"Kelby's flipping me off!"
The following events then took on a frightening nightmare of pain and fear. Mrs. Mazur, my main fifth grade teacher, hollered a furious, scathing lecture at me - and a referral for flipping off Caleb soon followed.
Through the tormenting phone call to Mom, through the second furious lecture I got from her on the LONG way home that night, and through the constant, relentless fear and despair of my impending fate, an epiphany suddenly blossomed within my ravaged soul: "If you wrong no one, no one will wrong you." The Golden Rule still existed, as did Eleanor Roosevelt's famous quote: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Willing to face another detention sentence once more, I received my next conduct report and, to my complete shock and awe, it showed no conduct marks or another detention sentence! I soon realized why: in a fit of hopeless depression, I wrote a suicidal note and hid it in one of the desks, but someone somehow found it and showed it to Mrs. Mazur. Whoever did such a wonderful act of charity became, to this day, my saving grace and guardian angel. From then on, I snitched on Caleb and Jensen, and they finally relented.
Now, as a junior of Permian High School, I am now in the top ten percent of the Class of 2012. My formerly conduct grade of U (unsatisfactory), has now become a glittering "E" for excellent. The filthy rat of the entire school died, and reincarnated into a clean, pure white dove, purer than the finest diamonds, far purer than anything I could have ever imagined. I no longer fear any enemies I make.
I meant to make it so that the guys were the things I feared, but the referral ended up being the only thing I really feared!
What do u think?
'Twas a cold winter day in February 2005. I, a fifth grade student then, sat in my desk in math and science class in LBJ Elementary - as a typical teacher's worst teacher's pet peeve. Flimsy report card grades, and numerous conduct marks on my conduct report accompanied my school year. Also, weekly detentions became a part of my school life. I became the filthy rat of the entire school.
Adding to the problem were two fifth grade boys in my class, the "fifth grade gruels" - Caleb Lancaster and Jensen Riley, who both consistently bombarded me with their relentless insults and snide remarks. Every time I blew my top at them, it always landed me in the dog house, and yet another conduct mark. Worst of all, no one ever seemed to care or even see what these boys were doing to me. No one ever once intervened.
As I now sat at the same desk, behind Caleb and Jensen, those two boys started their antics again - contorting their mouse-like faces into grotesque, mocking expressions directed at me. Those two boys became like relentless flies returning to bother me, the innocent horse, even as I hissed, "Stop it!" over and over.
Finally, enough was enough. The snapped horse began to buck within me as I raised my fingers and snapped them at Caleb - anything to stop such insolence!
Caleb saw my snapping fingers, and gave out a loud, shocked gasp.
"Kelby's flipping me off!"
The following events then took on a frightening nightmare of pain and fear. Mrs. Mazur, my main fifth grade teacher, hollered a furious, scathing lecture at me - and a referral for flipping off Caleb soon followed.
Through the tormenting phone call to Mom, through the second furious lecture I got from her on the LONG way home that night, and through the constant, relentless fear and despair of my impending fate, an epiphany suddenly blossomed within my ravaged soul: "If you wrong no one, no one will wrong you." The Golden Rule still existed, as did Eleanor Roosevelt's famous quote: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Willing to face another detention sentence once more, I received my next conduct report and, to my complete shock and awe, it showed no conduct marks or another detention sentence! I soon realized why: in a fit of hopeless depression, I wrote a suicidal note and hid it in one of the desks, but someone somehow found it and showed it to Mrs. Mazur. Whoever did such a wonderful act of charity became, to this day, my saving grace and guardian angel. From then on, I snitched on Caleb and Jensen, and they finally relented.
Now, as a junior of Permian High School, I am now in the top ten percent of the Class of 2012. My formerly conduct grade of U (unsatisfactory), has now become a glittering "E" for excellent. The filthy rat of the entire school died, and reincarnated into a clean, pure white dove, purer than the finest diamonds, far purer than anything I could have ever imagined. I no longer fear any enemies I make.
I meant to make it so that the guys were the things I feared, but the referral ended up being the only thing I really feared!
What do u think?