Self-esteem & Self-reliance
Dear Martin:
I got in trouble yesterday. I thought about all the stories you made up, so I made up one of my own and told it to Herman-the-Pest, and now I have to stay beside my mother for a whole day. I thought it was a good story, but he thought it was scary. The funny part is that he cried again the next night because I wasn't allowed to tell him another one!
Igvillu said to herself, "When I grow up, I am going to be a St. Bernard."
She dreamed about running in the deep, pure-white snows of the Alps and rescuing skiers.
She dreamed of running, running so fast, chasing wolves with sleek Irish wolfhounds. She dreamed of hunting with dingoes in Australia.
She dreamed of splashing in clear waters fetching ducks with golden retrievers.
But most of the time she dreamed about pulling huge, heavy sleds with big huskies, way up north.
"What're we gonna investigate?" Aaron said.
"You might want to investigate the art of listening," Mr. Collins said. "The rest of the class will study mealworms."
There were snickers. If Aaron heard, he didn't seem to care; he kept moving. His legs jiggled. He tapped his pencil on his desk. He hummed. His head bopped from side to side as if he was hearing music.
Weird kid, Jeremy thought.
He was supposed to say, "You're my Bitsiest bestiest friend," but every time he got to that 'bestiest' part, his mouth jammed open and his little pink tongue slipped out the side. He looked so human I couldn't believe it. It was like he was gagging on it or something.
