Prompt #612

Prompt:
Talk about a time in which someone praised your writing and how it made you feel.  Describe the scene and the reactions of anyone else in the room upon hearing these words.

Christine had been dreading going to 7th grade English the entire week.  The papers had been turned in on To Kill A Mockingbird last week and Mrs. Miller still had no word on when their grades would be in.  It was right before Christmas break and a bad grade on her progress report would totally screw up everything.  This paper was a big deal.  Christine basically became Scout while reading this book.  Although some of the plot was lost on her 12 year old mind, she really felt for the character.  She was scared of Boo Radley just like the children were.  Her dad was even a real lawyer.  She was tempted to get her hair cut in a short bob like the movie she made her mom rent.  But maybe that was taking it a little too far.

Finally the tardy bell rang and Mrs. Miller closed the door to her classroom.  Methodically she went down the rows returning the report folders to each student.  Face down.  They were not to be touched until each student received a paper.

“I have graded these papers myself.  But we will now do a peer evaluation and your fellow students will grade you.  The student grade will be 30% of your test score while my grade will be the other 70%.  You will turn the papers over, read them silently, make notes wherever possible, and assign a letter grade.  I have removed all names from the papers so there will be no bestie grades!  BEGIN!”

The students turned their folders over and begin to read the reports.  Christine silently read over the paper she was given and made notes.  Did this person even read the book?! She wondered.  There weren’t any mentions of the allusions Mrs. Miller directed them to look for.  Some of the characters names were even messed up.  “That Boo guy?”  Really.  Christine thought long and hard about the paper and decided that at best, it needed a C-.  She marked her paper and handed it in to Mrs. Miller.

Mrs. Miller waited until all of the papers were in.

“I want to congratulate Christine on making the highest grade in the class.  She wrote the best To Kill a Mockingbird essay that I’ve read in the past…ten years.  Easily.   So let’s see what her peer grader thought of her paper.”

Christine was busting on the inside.  She wanted so badly to stand up and cheer for herself.  But she just smiled and waited for her peer results.  And that’s when Mrs. Miller called Becky’s name as the peer grader.  Becky shot an evil glance to Christine and an wicked smile came across her lips.

Becky hated Christine since they were in the 2nd grade and David wanted to be Christine’s boyfriend but Becky was in love with him.  But in the 2nd grade all “being a boyfriend” consisted of was smuggling extra pudding cups to Christine during lunch time.  What second grader would turn down a pudding cup?!  Becky had it in for her bad.  This is not what was needed right before Christmas break.  She could kiss that iPod goodbye.  Not only that, but all the hard work that went into learning about Harper Lee!  She mentally scrutinized every word she could remember putting on the page.  Even if Becky gave her an F that would bring down Mrs. Millers A to…A C?! Totally unacceptable.

Becky cleared her throat and adjusted her bangs.  Christine watched David give a longing look in Becky’s direction.
“I totally agree Miss,” Becky exclaimed.  “Christine wrote the best Mockingbird paper I’ve read in 10 years.”  The bunch of girls that worshipped Becky giggled.  David smiled at Becky, but then again he smiled at everything she did since she got boobs.  Mrs. Miller shook her head, and smiled at Christine, and Christine began to make a mental note of every app she could ever download.