The Forger
by Winnie C.
Early one Tuesday morning, I woke up to attend another happy kindergarten day at Washington Elementary School. My daily routine was to wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, go to my babysitter’s home, and go to school from there. After arriving at my babysitter’s home, I approached my best friend, Chanell. She was about as tall as me, with long curly hair and a couple teeth missing because she was growing up. Chanell and I were some of the brightest kids in our class.
We always shared our homework with each other before going back to school. But there was a problem with mine. I always completed my homework, but I forgot to get it signed. My school teacher, Ms. Brown, always wanted us to get our parents to sign our homework. I think she liked knowing the fact that parents would be more informed on what we were learning. But it was too late to ask my mom to sign it. She’d already left for work.
“Aw, man, I forgot to have my mommy sign my paper!” I exclaimed to Chanell.
“Well, have my grandma sign it,” advised Chanell.
“No, I’ll just do it myself. She won’t know,” I said quietly.
“Are you sure, Winnie?” she asked me.
“Yes,” I replied.
Once arriving at school, the hallways seemed longer than ever before. The classroom doors seemed taller. At this point, I was a little worried but I never let it show. I slowly walked in my class and placed my paper on Ms. Brown’s sandy brown wooden desk.
“I sure hope the red ink made it look like Mommy’s name,” I thought to myself. I know Chanell told me not to do it, but I really needed it signed. My mommy always told me to be a big girl, so I am being one now. Big girls sign papers.
“Winnie, what is this?” asked Ms. Brown.
“Ms. Brown, it’s my homework,” I replied.
“Why does your mother’s signature look so different?” she asked.
“Umm, my mommy just started going back to school,” I replied.
Winnie C., a high school senior in St. Louis, wrote this paper for her Advanced Placement English class. After completing high school, she plans to pursue specialized training in culinary arts and earn her bachelor's degree in hospitality and business. Winnie's career goal is to open up and manage her own restaurant.
(c) 2006 Media by Sistrunk
Tags: Writing, Language Arts, Kindergarten, K-12, Education, Media by Sistrunk
5 comments:
Great story. I loved this for mny reasons: Writing what you see as a school project gives it a life. Coming from a high school student.
I wish the young student success in her resturant desire but what if she turns up writing books? Who knows...
The story is simply great! Reminded me of such a situation from when I was in primary school. My mom forgot to sign a test I had taken and I was terrified for a whole day. In the end, the teacher told me to bring it the next day...I would have never thought of trying to sign it (I had try to imitate the signature at home and it did not work untill high-school :D)
Shi: You are right. Writing does "give life" to a school project.
Even though this student's goal is to own her own restaurant, I've told her that before it's all over, she will write at least one book. Perhaps it will be a bestselling cook book.
Alina: I like your story, too! Like you, I would never have had the nerve to try to pass off my childish signature as my mom's. :-)
Thanx everybody for such nice comments!
Winnie:
you want to cook but honey I see writer/author in your future.
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