We participate each year in the Patriot's Pen essay contest sponsored by VFW. The essay theme always focuses on a facet of patriotism, this year's "Citizenship in America." As we did some prewriting activities, one of my 7th graders discovered she was not an American citizen as she had always thought. Her parents are in the long naturalization process, and somehow she was not aware of this.
Having always lived in the US, my student was totally surprised ... and dismayed. Thank goodness for the right words coming at the right time - I said, "Oh, what an opportunity you have. You have a unique perspective for your essay." Interestingly, her dad had told her the same thing the night before. My student rose to the challenge and wrote a beautiful essay, which the class cheered when she read it aloud to us. Not only did she learn a valuable lesson, but so did everyone else as we looked at complex immigration issues now with a personal investment - our classmate about whom we care deeply. Just this week, I learned that my student's essay came in first in our VFW district and is now being judged at the state level. She and her family will be honored at a VFW dinner in Orlando later this month. Seeing her chagrin change into facing something she didn't know and then into sharing her feelings of "being an American all but legally" became a moment of pride that she, her classmates, and I all shared. When middle school students want someone else's efforts recognized more than their own, you know that "all's right with the world." Ginny White Fernandina Beach (FL) Middle School _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
