Coming into seventh grade at Tripp Middle School was not easy for me. There was meeting new people, new teachers, and different classes each day. After going through half of that year, I thought I had it all set. I knew all the teachers in my Bengal wing. I made lots of new friends. I was doing well with my classes, I knew where everything was. Then, I was told I had to go in to some class called Lit Lab with Mrs. Jolene Randall.

I had no idea what that was, so I had it explained to me. Lit Lab was a place where certain kids have to go during their Social Studies period to get help on reading skills. Once you were in Lit Lab there was no way of getting out. You were trapped unless you got above or at grade level on your MEA’s or NWEA testing. I did not like it one bit. I got pulled out of classes to read to some strange lady I had never seen before in my life. I was told that I would be starting classes with her on our next white day and I would go to Lit Lab instead of Social Studies. I was confused. I had no idea where Mrs. Randall’s room was, I had no idea who was going to be in that class, and I had no idea what she was talking about. Comprehension? Fluency? Rate? Something about a roller coaster. Huh? What does a roller coaster even have to do with reading? All I thought was, “Whoa, she is a nut.”

To tell you the truth, it’s not so bad. I actually like it there. The roller coaster thing turned out to help. Roller coasters go up and down and when you read your voice should go up and down and act as the characters would in the book. I now understand what she was talking about.

Lit Lab has helped me in so many ways, not only in reading, but all of my other classes, because text is reading and text is everywhere. If you understand what you are reading you will have a successful future. Mrs. Randall turned out not to be some strange lady after all. She is actually a nice, kind, loud (oh boy is she loud) and peppy teacher full of surprises.