Book club saved me
I got my assignment back with a note from an English teacher, Ms. Broderick, saying, you’re torn between two worlds. You need to focus more on your education life.
At that time in life, I was in high school. Every mid-winter break, my parents would take me to Pakistan. I would have a really easy-going trip with less anxiety and more unstructured life. It gave me a feeling of a bird being set free from a cage, to finally having freedom to live. No school life, less worries, no more stressing out about what to do tomorrow, doing assignments, staying awake late night to work on essays or waiting for weekends to come. It was more of me exploring what life was about without being a student. Coming back from a vacation to school left me with reluctance to leave the freedom of responsibility and freewheeling days behind. I felt overwhelmed with the thought of stricter schedule and how an organized life would be all over again. I wasn’t satisfied with school life anymore.
As I came back from my vacation and the transition of losing interest in study affected me negatively in my grades. I was handing in my assignment the last minute and was no longer participating or taking any interest. My mind always roamed back to the life in Pakistan. Sitting in the English class, full of students, I still felt loneliness, not talking to anyone, being in my very own comfort zone kept me away from making friends. The teacher was going around in the classroom giving back the essay with grades on. When I received mine, Ms. Broderick looked at me with a slight frown on her face, saying, “meet me at the end of the class.” On my essay I saw a post it with a note on it. I read, the phrase “torn apart two worlds,” evoked me to realize how isolated I became with my education and a feeling of free spirit was really messing me up. I wasn’t taking my education serious anymore. I felt disappointed within myself. At the end of the English class, I stayed behind and waited for all the students to leave. The classroom was empty and silent down. As I walked toward Ms. Broderick, looking at her face I felt the disquiet feeling she had for me.
“Noureen, what’s wrong, you seemed really disturbed? You’re no longer focusing on your class.”
Her words felt heavy on my mind, left me speechless and doubting myself. As we remained silence, I knew she was waiting for me to share my inner conflict that was distracting my interest in school. I hesitated to share. She knew I went on vacation and wasn’t really concentrating in my classes anymore. Without me explaining to her I loved the fact she understands me so well and was concerned, she said, “I’m expecting to see the old Noureen.” Her words hit me really hard. A reflection occurred in my mind remembering English class always been my favorite, I loved reading novels, doing thematic essays, reflective essays, summarizing open ended books, and participating in class. I couldn’t believe the change inside me was preventing my efforts and the interest of books I had. At last, Ms. Broderick told me that she had opened an after-school club Called, “Book club” and wanted me to be part of it. I was excited to know about it and didn’t wait any longer. The feeling of being alone eventually faded.
I never thought the book club would change my life. It helped me make new friends, gain confidence, explore different genre, learn about different authors, feel free to share my perspective of novels, and mostly I developed passion for novels. I would read two novels at once, one I would be assigned to read as an assignment and other I read independently. I finally figured out Book club was a place I belong. I no longer felt an outcast.
I love that you were able to find where you belong with the book club. I would love to hear more about how the book club made you gain confidence and no longer an outcast. I think that would be the really interesting part of your journey to opening up and being yourself and being free.
Transitioning back to school can be hard and honestly I would often lose interest in any subject just because I felt disconnected from my motivations but I’m glad you found your way back and became more social
This is good!
REMEMBER THE HW â READ INSTRUCTIONS carefully! Where is your single sentence of intention?
Letâs get in ONE SENTENCE: This is a story about how I navigated transtioning between the TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS of Pakistan and my Pakistani family during visits home AND the world of school in NYC. This is also a story about how Book Club SAVED me in my educational life. (you are even using Mentor Quote â you have a lot of rich material and potentially good stuff here prompted by all the different writing prompts â NOW put it together in ONE story line!)
YOU WRITE: I got my assignment back with a note from an English teacher, Ms. Broderick, saying, youâre torn between two worlds. You need to focus more on your education life.
START with top of the page the quote:
âYouâre torn between two worlds. You need to focus more on your education life.â â Mr. Broderick my high school English Teacher
At that time in life, I was in high school [WHAT year?]. Every mid-winter break, my parents would take me to Pakistan. I would have a really easy-going trip with less anxiety and more unstructured life. [CAN YOU SHOW ME A SCENE of anxiety free and unstructured moment in Pakistan? family trip to mountains, day with cousins going to market??? IDK but you do! SHOW me a scene of the âfreedomâ you felt in Pakistan] It gave me a feeling of a bird being set free from a cage, to finally having freedom to live. No school life, less worries, no more stressing out about what to do tomorrow, doing assignments, staying awake late night to work on essays or waiting for weekends to come. It was more of me exploring what life was about without being a student.
[NEW PAR] Coming back from a vacation to school left me with reluctance to leave [CUT DELETE-the freedom of responsibility and] the freewheeling days of behind. I felt overwhelmed with the thought of stricter schedule and how an organized life would be all over again. I wasnât satisfied with school life anymore.
As I came back from my vacation and the transition of losing interest in study affected me negatively in my grades. I was handing in my assignment the last minute and was no longer participating or taking any interest. My mind always roamed back to the life in Pakistan. [WHAT memories SHOW me memories that you daydreamed about.] Sitting in the English class, full of students, I still felt loneliness, not talking to anyone, being in my very own comfort zone kept me away from making friends. [WHAT difficulty were you having making friends? Was there difficulty fitting in due to cultural differences â Your Pakistani culture vs American culture of the students? SHOW me the âoutcastâ feeling] The teacher was going around in the classroom giving back the essay with grades on. When I received mine, Ms. Broderick looked at me with a slight frown on her face, saying, âmeet me at the end of the class.â
[NEW PAR] On my essay I saw a post it with a note on it. I read, the phrase âtorn apart two worlds,â evoked me to realize how isolated I became with my education and a feeling of free spirit was really messing me up. I wasnât taking my education serious[lyâadverb form needed] anymore. I felt disappointed within myself. At the end of the English class, I stayed behind and waited for all the students to leave. The classroom was empty and silent down. As I walked toward Ms. Broderick, looking at her face I felt the disquiet feeling she had for me.
âNoureen, whatâs wrong, you seemed really disturbed? Youâre no longer focusing on your class.â
Her words felt heavy on my mind, left me speechless and doubting myself. As we remained silence, I knew she was waiting for me to share my inner conflict that was distracting my interest in school. I hesitated to share. She knew I went on vacation and wasnât really concentrating in my classes anymore. Without me explaining to her I loved the fact she understands me so well and was concerned, she said, âIâm expecting to see the old Noureen.â Her words hit me really hard. A reflection occurred in my mind remembering English class always been my favorite, I loved reading novels, doing thematic essays, reflective essays, summarizing open ended books, and participating in class. I couldnât believe the change inside me was preventing my efforts and the interest of books I had. At last, Ms. Broderick told me that she had opened an after-school club Called, âBook clubâ and wanted me to be part of it. I was excited to know about it and didnât wait any longer.
[NEW PAR] The feeling of being alone eventually faded. [NOW SHOW me a next part with a SCNENE that SHOWs me the friendships you gained in Book Club, the purpose you now felt in your learning in this NYC school. WHAT activities did you do in this club? Reach back into your memor for the best scene of a good time in book club? WHAT book/genre/author were you discussing? WHAT was the conversation the dialogue? WHAT was the vibe? The atmosphere? How did Ms. Broderick help you?]
[THIS part could be the ENDING CONCLUSION]. I never thought the book club would change my life. It helped me make new friends, gain confidence, explore different genre, learn about different authors, feel free to share my perspective of novels, and mostly I developed passion for novels. I would read two novels at once, one I would be assigned to read as an assignment and other I read independently. I finally figured out Book club was a place I belong. I no longer felt an outcast.