I was so incredibly relieved to turn in the first 3 chapters – 20 pages of work. Shelley Stopple (my advisor) is wonderful! Jim was invaluable too (I may enjoy writing, but that doesn’t mean I’m good at it!)

It’s hard to believe that I’m only 1 year from graduation. When John Della Vedova went through what will occur over the next year, I was very nervous!!! There’s a lot that has to happen between now and the end of next July! I’m sure I’ll make it, I know everyone will support me, but wow!

Everyone in the school loves to recount where we’ve come from, as well as how much he’s changed.  Let’s see – 2nd grade, “cookie” was his only response.  He hid under desks and tables and began throwing fits by clearing the tables of their contents.  During 3rd grade, we both moved to a new school.  It was a difficult move (and honestly, he was one of the reasons I wasn’t going to accept this position).  He was completely removed from the general education classroom, spending many days running away from me, destroying my room by tipping desks and chairs, growling, throwing things, and still, hiding under desks and tables. In fact, I think we even took his COGAT tests under a table!  In 4th grade, he began working in the general education classroom more, but still spent many days under desks or growling at me.  When he got to 5th grade, he was in the classroom all day everyday, except when things didn’t go so well.  Rather than running away or sitting under desks, he would spend much of his time just sitting.  In 6th grade, he’d made so much progress that I hardly ever saw him.  Don’t get me wrong – he is still. . . unique and eccentric! 

I think back through my unique little ones – there have been many.  From locators and tazers in their wrist, to “cookie”, and several that spent time under tables and desks!  I’ve loved them all and wish them well in the future!  
 

The best story takes place in Runnels Iowa.  Their  was 3 teachers in the district. that were the best in the world  The first teacher was mrs, turner.  The second one is mr. castile.  The third one is mrs. good  the are the smartest, nices. In the Hole world.  one thing speshel is that they are all ways in a good mood.  I love school it is fun – hard mrs. turner can make you smile.  When you are haveing a bad day. mrs. good can make you lafh any time.  mr. castile can help you when you need help.  one example is that when I had a bad day in math class mrs. good told us a funny Joke.  the Joke was relly funny.  one thing that I will not forget. Is that when c****, m** and i were down in mrs turner classroom on the first week of school was when mrs turner made my day by makeing me feel beter.  THE END  

 I didn’t even give him this topic!!  He may have been brown nosing it, but this next one shows some thought – We had read Jackie and Me in a guided reading group.

 My favoirot baseball players from the past are.  Jackie Robinson. and babe ruth   one cool thing that Jackie Robinson did was.  Break the color barer.  One cool thing Babe ruth  had the most homeruns.  Jackie Robinson did not fight back when other people treated him badly.  my favoirt book is jacie and me  It was tromendously great.  Then my second facorit book is babe and me.  I[t] was great.  Jackie Robinson was nice to eveyone.  one thing from Jackie and me was that LA dogers where nice to Jackie in the end.  babe ruth was a grate atlete he never said Quit.   

Here’s another, it starts out a little strange, but the last 1/2 shows where her heart is!

  If I could do any thing right now I would buy the School and have Partys evre day.  I would make something and sell it and git 856787109205292012272712780,000,000,000 dollers a day.  Then I would buy the hoil in-tier wourld.  then then I would own the bigist house in history.  then I would give all the pour evre thing they wanted.  I would git red of drugs, alkahal and other bad stof four are body.  I would make the wourld a better plays to Live in.  I would make the Jails a lot better  I would cech evre one ho was doing bad things and Put them in Jail.  that is what I would want to do any thing.    

I especially liked how she decided to clean up the jails first, then put the bad people in them – that’s nice!  Like I said before, we may have a lot of work to do on conventions, grammar, spelling, etc.  The ideas though, they’re solid!