Rose Z. Final - The First Day

Rose Zabel              English

Today’s Date: 6/17/15         Period 3

Original Date: 10/17/14

Context and Reflection

This is the first real piece of writing for the whole year. I chose this to show my improvement for the whole year, rather than just using something from the middle of the year. The original excerpt was short, so I typed it out from my playbook and added specific details where I thought I needed them. There were so many things that were so obvious to me now, that I can’t imagine I could make such big mistakes on. I hope to be able to say that next year, as well, because I know I certainly have a lot to improve on as a writer. I really enjoyed being able to work on this piece again, because I could see how much I have improved, and it felt easier to do than it did in the beginning of the year. I’m really proud of the progress I’ve made this year, so I hope you are, too!

The First Day

It was the first day of elementary school.My mom put a name tag on me with a monkey on it, and smiled. “You’re gonna have lots of fun today. Make sure to do what the teacher says,and eat all of your lunch.”

“I know that Mamma,” I say.

“Okay. Well, we better get going to the bus stop or you’re gonna miss your first day of school!” We walk down the road to a big fir tree with a drainage pipe next to it. I grin happily. Soon I’ll be riding on the bus, all the way to my first day of kindergarten! The bus pulls up next to my mom and I. I read the number on the side of the bus.

“Fifty-eight,” I say. I step in, beholding the wonder disguised as an old yellow school bus.

I ride in the back so that no big kids try to eat me when I’m not looking. When we get to the school, I walk over to Ms. Dolan’s room. Above her room, a sign with a big rainbow on it says, “The Rainbow Room.” As soon as I walk in, a girl smiles at me and I go over to sit with her. She tells me her name is Sophia, and she’s sitting with three girls, named Cesia, Margaret, and Dehlia. Soon, two more friendly girls enter the room and sit at our table. Their names are Goldali and Hanalei. I’m so happy to be making so many friends, and it’s only been ten minutes! I have already made six new friends. Together, we draw with markers on construction paper, laughing at each other’s silly drawings. Finally, class starts. Ms. Dolan introduces herself, smiling. I can already tell she’s going to be a great teacher. We then sit in a circle and introduce ourselves one at a time. I only see one person I know from pre-school, but I recognize others vividly.

The day goes by so quickly, I barely even notice it, and by the time I’m on the bus home, I can't wait to see my mom and tell her all about my day. This has been the best day ever!

About the Author

My name is Rose Zabel, attending DeWitt Middle School as a seventh grade student. I am a student in Mr. Scott’s third period English class. My growth as a writer this year was enormous compared to what I thought it was. Before this assignment, I had no idea what I was going to write, because I thought I hadn’t improved this year. When I actually sat down, after about five days of procrastination, I found that the words came easily to me where they hadn’t come out before. I was shocked at how much my writing had changed, slowly but steadily, over the course of the school year. I am thankful to Mr. Scott and Ms. Sherman for showing me so much this year. I didn’t even realize how much I have improved, and maybe that was a good thing. I think that if I hadn’t challenged myself to doing this project, I would have lost a lot of valuable information about myself. Just knowing the amount of improvement boosts my self-esteem, which makes me want to keep on working harder. So thank you, Mr. Scott, and Ms. Sherman as well. You really pushed me to the limit to show me what I could do, and that makes you good teachers.