Writer's Diary

Day Four: Fending Off the School

AN- Okay, before we jump into this, a quick explanation about some stuff: I am in 8th grade, I go to a charter school, so I have been going to the same school for nine years now, up until 3rd grade (year 4), we had an amazing principal, Dr. Locket, which is her real name. She retired that year, and during my 4th grade (year 5), we had a horrible woman named Mrs. Grinwhiss. We called her Mrs. Grinwhitch. Bullying was rampant, the school was losing people fast, and they had no idea what they were doing. We all hated her. After two years, she left, and we are still unsure if she was fired or quit. Then we got Mrs. Donkin. She is worse than the Grinwhitch. She is terrible in ways I can't even write. And it's not just kids who hate her, adults do as well. So my school sucks, I hate it, but I will be free in a few months! So, when I have to directly deal with them, I get irritated. I am in a special program called ATYP, or academically talented youth program, had to take the SAT (big 5 hour test for high school graduates) in 6th grade (year 7), qualified in 7th grade (year 8), and took honors english 9 and 10 (years 10 and 11) in 7th grade, and now in 8th I'm taking english 11 and 12 (years 12 and 13). My school does not get any involvement in my english education, but they want me to take a big 3 hour test on 8th (year 9) grade english called an Interim. And that is the history of how I started writing. Now today, and yesterday, I have been fighting with the school about this. So, here we go, I hope you can really feel how irritated I was right then. I'm also glad and don't have to explain that ever again. 

I laughed at Khiry, who was our Earth model at the moment. The bright light bulb behind him shone on our styrofoam representation of the moon. Khiry had just realized that he was Earth, and was now laughing at himself  as well. The other two people in our group, Larenda and Aj, laughed as well. In the back corner of my mind, I thought about how candid and cheesy this was, but I ignored the notion and continued snickering. My binder that had been missing for six days now was just returned to me, and I was insanely happy as some important homework was in it that was due the next day. 

My happiness was torn to pieces as our dean, Mrs. Gertrude, walked into the science room  and asked for me: "Aspen? Can I take you out of class for a moment?" I knew exactly why she wanted to take me out of class, she wanted me to take a test that I did not have to take because of ATYP. 

Angry on the inside, I replied with my best fake smile and bubbly voice: "Sure, Mrs. Gertrude!" 

She smiled back and said, "Let's walk down to my room." 

I replied with a big, bright smile, "Of course, Mrs. Gertrude!" we walked down, not saying anything, and I would have felt awkward about the situation, if I wasn't as angry as I was.  It was Wednesday, and she had come to me yesterday about this same situation. The school wanted me to take a test known as an Interim. It was a test of what the class had learned over the past semester, it told the teacher where each student was, and it gave the big guys at the headquarters of my school chain information about each student. The test was allotted three hours, and while I could get it done in about forty minutes, there was two more Interims after this, and it was the principal of the thing. I was in eleventh grade English, ATYP meant I didn't sing their song when it came to English, and they don't care that I am in ATYP. Last year, at the end of the year awards ceremony, I and my fellow ATYP students at Paramount weren't recognized for our achievement. I and my parents were fed up with the school's crap, and we put our foot down here. 

When Mrs. Gertrude had come to me yesterday on Tuesday about the problem, I told her to contact ATYP's director, and it would be sorted right away. She refused, and instead talked to people who had never heard of ATYP. She thought me a simple child who will be appeased with pretty words. Heads up Mrs. Gertrude, I won't be appeased that easily, and I can write prettier words. I gave her multiple logical reasons and they fell upon deaf ears. All this, and more, ran through my mind on that long, silent walk down to her office.