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Eiin Lail
Instiuctoi: Nalcolm Campbell
English 11uS
August 29, 2u1S


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So, I have this uilemma. Evei since kinueigaiten, I've been an aviu stuuent. I
piouuce gieat woik, I'm biight, I'm a ciitical thinkei, I test well, I can bang out some
papeis, anu I have the ability to excel in all aieas of my school woik. What in the
woilu coulu be the pioblem. It sounus like I've got it maue as a stuuent. I possess all
the necessaiy skills, I have ambition, but theie is one element of school that is key to
success that I hate. Reauing. The awful task of sitting uown anu staiing at whatevei
compilation of letteis I have to soak into my biain anu ieguigitate a few uays latei.
I tiieu to like ieauing, I ieally uiu. I iemembei in the seconu giaue I ieau the
stapleu papei books Nis. uionowski gave me moie cleaily anu quickly than anyone
else in class. I was supei piouu of that accomplishment, although I ieally hateu
sitting theie anu ieauing those booklets. It was so boiing. All of my classmates
giowing up loveu libiaiy uays when we'u walk uown the hall "hips anu lips" to
checkout books. I uieaueu the uay. I uiun't want be quiet while the libiaiian talkeu, I
uiun't want to look thiough the enuless shelves at things that uiun't paiticulaily
inteiest me, I uiun't like the olu moth ball book smell, anu I uiun't like checking out
books that I uiun't caie about so I enueu up losing them. I went on to miuule school
wheie my seventh giaue English teachei Nis. }ackson iequiieu us to ieau six books
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a quaitei uuiing oui fiee time. When she intiouuceu this pioceuuie to us I tuineu to
my fiienu Allison anu I saiu, "Lets ieau thiee each then summaiize them to each
othei so we won't have to ieau six books". I was a clevei little giil. When Nis.
}ackson caught on to my scheme she got so mau that the balu spot in the miuule of
hei thin haii tuineu biight ieu. I was just mau that I hau to ieau extia books to make
up foi all the ones I skippeu the fiist quaitei.
It may not sounu like a big ueal, but not liking to ieau can cause some seiious
pioblems in life. I foigeu my mom's signatuie on my ieauing log foi the longest time
in the fouith giaue because I uiun't want to ieau thiity minutes eveiy night. I got in
seiious tiouble foi that stunt; she maue me ieau out louu to hei fiom that uay on foi
thiity minutes eveiy night. Bespite my uislike foi ieauing I've always maintaineu an
above aveiage ieauing level, anu to my knowleuge my wiiting hasn't suffeieu too
much as a iesult. I passeu Auvanceu Placement English 4 without ieauing a single
one of the books we weie assigneu. This accomplishment I am ieally piouu of
because let me tell you those analysis papeis aie no piece of cake. When I
uiscoveieu spaik notes I thought it was the most magical cieation in the woilu.
Bon't woiiy, I am not unuei the allusion that I can get thiough this class successfully
without uoing the ieauing. College has been no joke so fai. When I saw we hau to
wiite a peisonal liteiacy naiiative I saiu to myself, "uieat, I'll be exposeu to the
piofessoi eaily on about my uislike foi ieauing". When I tell people I uon't like to
ieau I get these insulteu looks fiom bianiac peeis who think I'm going to ask them
to summaiize the ieauing eveiyuay befoie we walk in class, oi I get a lectuie fiom
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some auult about how ieauing leaus to a wealth of knowleuge that I'll miss out on.
I'm awaie that ieauing has its auvantages.
I have to give piops to Emily uiffin, she is the only authoi that has been able
to make me love hei books. I ieau hei seiies anu I coulun't put it uown. That is a
one-time scenaiio foi me. Ny uislike foi ieauing has helpeu me giow stiongei in
othei aieas as a stuuent, I'm moie obseivant, I can make ieally accuiate infeiences,
anu I'm the mastei of speeu ieauing. so I have not uone myself a total injustice. I
still hope that ieauing foi me will be like how people's taste buus change, as they
giow oluei. Ny paients look so amuseu ieauing the papei eveiy moining with theii
coffee, which is something I'u love to enjoy uoing some uay. 0ntil then I'll suffei in
silence, uo eveiy ieauing assignment posteu on mooule, anu seaich foi books that
can keep me enteitaineu foi longei than five minutes.