Jeremy’s First Day Essay

Jeremy was very excited.   His eyes popped open even before his alarm clock rang. He had been waiting for this day all summer.   It was his first day at his new school.   Jeremy’s mom promised him that this school was going to be even more fun then the one he went to when they lived in his old house before they moved to this town. Jeremy jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed in the outfit had had picked out especially for his first day. He combed his hair and brushed his teeth like his dad told him he should do every morning. Jeremy’s parents were just sitting down to breakfast and were very surprised went he walked into the room. â€Å"My, you sure got ready awfully quickly† said Jeremy’s mother. â€Å"Are you all ready for school?† asked Jeremy’s dad. Then he added, â€Å"Do you think a pancake would help?† Jeremy smiled, â€Å"It sure would!† After they ate Jeremy’s mother looked at her watch and sprung from her chair â€Å"Where did the time go?   We’re going to be late!† They ran to the car and waved good-bye to Jeremy’s dad who reminded him to be good. Jeremy’s mother drove quickly and they got to school just in time.   Jeremy hugged and kissed her good bye and she too reminded him to be good. As he walked into the building, he heard his mom tell him to â€Å"knock their socks off!† Jeremy got to his classroom just as the bell rang and found a seat in the very middle.   All of the other second graders looked at him in wonder.   His dad had told him to expect this.   Jeremy was the new kid.   People would look at him because they didn’t know him and they would be curious about what he was like.   They might want to know about where he was from and what kinds of things he liked to do.   His mom said it might feel funny to be looked at like an animal in a zoo, but that they didn’t mean any harm, and as soon as they were used to him, they would all be friends. The teacher stepped in front of the class and wished them a good morning.   She wrote her name on the board and began to call out the children’s names. â€Å"Anna Abbott?† â€Å"Here† â€Å"Nicholas Baca?† â€Å"Here.† â€Å"Jeremy Dennis?† â€Å"Here.† Everyone got quiet and looked at Jeremy very hard.   Then suddenly a girl in the front row said, â€Å"You’re not a boy!† â€Å"How come he’s wearing a dress?† asked the boy sitting next to Jeremy.   Then everyone began to talk excitedly.   They all wanted to know if Jeremy was a boy then why he was wearing a dress. Jeremy was confused.   No one had ever asked him about his clothes before.   Other students in the class were wearing dresses and no one seemed to notice. The teacher quieted the class and turned to Jeremy. â€Å"Are you Jeremy Dennis?† â€Å"Yes, I am† said Jeremy. â€Å"Welcome to class Jeremy.†Ã‚   She then went back to calling the role. The first day was a very long one.   At recess, everyone wanted to know about Jeremy’s old town and school, but mostly they wanted to know why he was wearing a dress.   Some of the students were very nice and some were not.   Some of them asked questions about what kinds of games Jeremy liked to play and were excited to have him on their soccer team because Jeremy was very good.   Some said mean things to him about his clothes.   Jeremy wondered if their parents had told them to be good this morning too. By the end of the day, Jeremy had learned that even though the school didn’t have any rules about clothes, boys at this school only wore shorts and pants, but girls were allowed to wear anything they wanted.   This seemed unfair to Jeremy. At dinner, he explained to his parents the funny rules the children at this school followed.   Jeremy’s mother sighed and told him that everyone one and everywhere is different and he just had to decide which rules he wanted to follow. That night, as he went to sleep, Jeremy knew exactly what he was going to wear the next day. Discussion Plan This story addresses gender issues are well as the role of authority and rule making and breaking.   Some questions that approach these issues could include: Why did the child say Jeremy was not a boy? What is the difference between a boy a girl? Why do the boys not wear dresses? Are their rules that you follow that are not written down? How do you learn about these rules. Who decides these rules? How do you know if these rules are fair? Other topics to address would be sayings like â€Å"where did the time go?† and what it means to â€Å"be good.†