WHEN I WAS IN KINDERGARTEN THEY TOLD ME I WAS ONE OF THE SPECIAL KIDS AND WHEN WE HAD RECESS I WASN'T ALLOWED TO GO OUT AND PLAY WITH THE OTHER KIDS BECAUSE I HAD TO STAY IN AND TAKE TESTS. THE TEST WERE MOSTLY STUFF LIKE HAVING TO IDENTIFY THINGS WHEN THE SUBSTITUTE TEACHER MS. CARTER (MY REAL TEACHER WAS GONE ALL YEAR) WOULD HOLD UP PICTURES OF THEM. SO I HAD TO KNOW WHAT A FIRE HYDRANT AND ELECTRICAL OUTLET WAS. THEN THEY WANTED TO SEE IF I COULD JUMP OVER AN ORANGE BAR. I COULDN'T DO IT BECAUSE IT WAS A LITTLE HIGH FOR ME. THEY NEVER TOLD ME WHAT ALL THIS MEANT. FINALLY NEAR THE END OF THE YEAR THEY PUT ME ON RITALIN AND LET ME PLAY OUTSIDE. BUT THEN I GOT SCARLETT FEVER AND MISSED A MONTH OF SCHOOL.

I WROTE A STORY WHEN I WAS SEVEN ALL ABOUT A LEOPARD WHO DIDN'T HAVE SPOTS. (FOR SOME REASON HE HAD NO COLOR WHATSOEVER.) THE OTHER KIDS MADE FUN OF ME BECAUSE THEY SAID I WASN'T SAYING THE 'P' IN 'SPOTS.' BUT I TRIED MY HARDEST AND I SWEAR I WAS SAYING IT RIGHT BUT THEY STILL SAID IT SOUNDED LIKE 'SOTS.' THE TEACHER WARNED ME THAT I WOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO READ MY STORY ABOUT THE LEOPARD WHO FOUND A GLASS OF ORANGE JUICE AND COLORED HIMSELF THEN GAVE HIMSELF SPOTS WITH WHAT I CLAIMED WAS 'A BOX OF POLKA DOTS' ALOUD AT THE YOUNG AUTHORS' FESTIVAL IF I DIDN'T STOP SAYING 'SOTS.' THE DAY OF THE PERFORMANCE CAME AND EVERYONE LAUGHED AT ME WHEN I READ TO ALL THE PARENTS AND SIBLINGS THERE SO I CRIED AND CRIED AND A YEAR LATER I CRIED AGAIN WHEN MY MOM WANTED TO NAME MY NEW CAT SPOT.

WHENEVER WE WERE GOOD IN MS. BEASLEY'S CLASS WE GOT A STICKER ON OUR LITTLE STICKERS SHEET. WE GOT A PRIZE AT THE END OF EACH MONTH BASED ON HOW MANY STICKERS WE HAD ON THE SHEET. THE TEACHER SAID WE COULD WORK OUT OUR MATH PROBLEMS ON THE BACK OF THE STICKER SHEETS IF WE WANTED TO. SO WHEN WE GOT OUR DAILY PROBLEM, WHICH WAS ABOUT HOW MANY PAPER CLIPS I'D HAVE IF SOMEONE ELSE GAVE ME THEIRS, I STARTED WRITING IT OUT ON THE PINK STICKERS SHEET BUT THEN THE TEACHING ASSISTANT SAW ME AND SAID I WASN'T DOING WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO AND SHE GAVE ME A LITTLE RED MARK ON MY CARD. I'D NEVER GOTEEN A MARK BEFORE BECAUSE I WAS VERY QUIET AND OBEDIENT. I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY IT HAD HAPPENED AND I WAS SAD ALL DAY BECAUSE I THOUGHT I DID SOMETHING WRONG.