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Extensive Reading

Author: Kelley Eck
Title: First Day of School
Type of Text: (Diary-) Story
Source: Internet: http://www.shortstories.com/Short%20Stories/Page%204/short_stories_-_page_4.htm
Number of Pages: 1
Time spent Reading: 15 Minutes
Date of Reading: 08-11-2001

7. Provide the following INFORMATION ABOUT THE TEXT:
 Information in this text which was new to me.
 Information in this text which was familiar to me.
 I enjoyed / I did not enjoy reading it because…
 The aspects I enjoyed most:
 The aspects I liked least:
 I would recommend other to read this because…

The ways things work at an English school were new for me. I read in the text that English kids go to school from Monday till Friday without going home. I think the story is about a special school, but still: I didn’t know that!
Also, you can read how it goes when they have lunch. They have lunch together and most of the times in groups, sitting with their friends. I saw that on TV as well, but I didn’t know it happens in real life too.

The rest of the things were quite similar to what i already know. Besides the things I told at question 1, English schools look like Dutch schools and I expected that the first day would be hard. So those things weren’t new to me.

I enjoyed reading the text because it’s a bit familiar to me and it was easy to read because it was a text written by someone around my age. So the language she used wasn’t very hard to read.

The aspects I enjoyed the most were her experience at lunch. How she describes what she wants: friends, holding a place for her and chatting about other classes.

The aspects I liked least were when she talked to her diary by saying ‘you probably think I’m a flake’ and things like that. She talks to a thing what doesn’t answer and I think she likes that but it sounds just weird when I read it.

I would recommend others to read this text because it was fun to read it and not very hard.

First Day of School

Dear Dairy,
It's the first day of school and already I hate it! It's likes some form of prehistoric torture! How do they expect us to sit all day in a hard chair till our butts are numb! Okay, what can I say it's not exactly going great! My first week I have two periods of wasted time! Two periods to sit and put my thoughts in order? Ya right! More like two periods of silent exasperating time, minutes going by like hours driving me towards craziness! With a teacher who in disguise is really a witch waiting to cast spells on all the little pretties in her first period study hall!
Suddenly I find myself missing home and what's more scary my computer screen. I try to forget about those thoughts and think of something more pleasant. But all that comes to my mind is going home to the weekend. Where I can be with the people I love without having to worry about what everyone else thinks of me. As your reading this your probably thinking what a flake! But hey! Maybe I am a flake or maybe we're all flakes I'm just brave enough to admit it!
Well I guess I have to remember that whatever happens here I am a good person! I do have friends and I do have a purpose for being here! Even though maybe it's not clear to me right now what that might be! I will trust!
I thought I was above public opinion! I might be! I might get that twinge of jealousy every once in awhile, doesn't everyone! I'll keep trying to improve myself but in the meantime I'll start making friends! I think I'm good at that! I hope so! I want to remember that they might not be the most popular but that's okay. Sometimes those people are better friends. And what is popularity? Just another form of competition between human beings! Why can't we be like animals? No competition! Just living to live! I know that sounds unrealistic and your probably trying hard not to laugh for my sake but go ahead and laugh! I can take it!
I do know that life would be so much better if people would express themselves instead of keeping their emotions bottled up! I know that I can't live that way. I have to be free, I have to be myself! And I will stand up for what I believe in even if it means giving up what is very important to me!

Lunch
I am the first person in the lunch line since I have no one to gossip or talk with between classes. The most influential group of girls or the popular people as they call themselves pour in like a mob. When they enter instantly I feel their probing eyes on me. Maybe I'm just paranoid but I hear there whispers as they approach the line. I get my lunch and look at the large room filled with screaming restless peers! Where will I sit? Is the question that enters my mind. The answer hurts my heart. No one has saved a seat for me. My friends who say they love me will not sacrifice their reputation for a friend who would do anything and everything for them. Do I still call them my friends? Yes, because Jesus forgave and I will do as he does. Still I pray that God will give me good friends. I pray that he will help me find my place here and use me here. That is what I truly want.