~ For the January Writing Camp (JWC) ~ Art & Writing: @Astrid_da_potato - Please don't steal! 1) In-Cabin Daily Word Count: 405 2) Main-Cabin Daily Word Count: 415 3) Cabin War Word Count: 698 4) Main-Cabin Daily Word Count: 251 1) Character Profile: Astrid // she/her // 12 // Blackish gold hair that flows down to her shoulders, hazel, white, 5’4, ...)// Writing, rollerblading, and reading // Passionate about the things she cares about, humorous, empathetic, extrovert, but (at times) impulsive // Phobia of failure // Understanding everyone she meets before making assumptions about anyone // ~ The rain pattered heavily against their umbrellas as if trying to penetrate the weak plastic surface. There was a dampness to the smell in the air, and every once in a while, one of them would find themselves in the middle of a puddle. /Splash. Splash. Splash./ “Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Astrid said, yelling over the loud splattering of the rain. The crooked house in front of them, half illuminated by the moonlight, was far from the luxurious mansion Astrid had been expecting. “Yeah!” Iris shouted back, waving her phone in Astrid’s face as they struggled to keep from getting wet. “See? The GPS says we’re here.” Astrid shuddered, and it had nothing to do with the cold breeze whistling past. The house in front of her looked like it was crafted straight from a horror movie. With its eerie, dead tree stretching its old branches out toward them and the rusty windows that made it impossible to see inside, Astrid decided that this place definitely made it into the top ten scariest places she’d ever been to. The rainstorm wasn’t exactly helping either. Astrid had heard the expression “raining buckets of rain”, but this rainstorm brought a whole different meaning to the word “wet.” “So . . . are we going in?” Iris said, sounding about as excited as Astrid felt. “It’s either that or the rain, so . . .” She tried to put enthusiasm into her voice, but judging from Iris’s expression, she hadn’t pulled it off. Really, Astrid would’ve picked the rain over the scary haunted house of her nightmares anytime. Iris must’ve been having similar thoughts, because she murmured some lame excuse about having to go check if she locked the car and splashed off. Squaring her shoulders, Astrid realized that it was up to her. Taking a deep breath, she walked forward, each step feeling like a sacrifice. She stopped in front of the house and hesitated, hoping she wasn’t making a huge mistake. /Note to self: Next time, when you have to choose between living in a hotel and your old millionaire grandma’s house, go with the hotel./ And with that, she stepped inside. 2) I winced as the dog dug its teeth into my flesh. /Squeak/. I sighed, wishing that I could twist around and shake him off of me. The drooling dog clamped its jaws tighter around me and grinned his goofy dog grin, oblivious to my pain (as always). He gave a short bark, scampering over to nudge his owner. The dog did a strange dance, nipping at his tail. If I had eyes, I would’ve rolled them. Wasn’t the dog smart enough to know that he’d never actually catch his tail? What was the point of running around in endless circles to get something that couldn’t be reached? The answer: there WAS no point. This dog was just plain dumb. Of course, his owner sure didn’t think so. She smiled and brushed her blond hair out of her eyes, kneeling down to stroke the dog’s face. “Who’s a good puppy?” she cooed in a fake baby voice (augh. I hate it when humans do that). “You are! You are! Come here, Brownie!” The dog perked his ears like hearing his name had suddenly triggered some sort of instinct. His grin widened and he abandoned me on the ground before padding over to his owner for some cuddles. What a joke! As I stared on, though, I couldn’t help but feel jealous. Being a dog was WAY better than being stuck as a chew toy. Every day, the dog chews on me. Yep. That’s my entire schedule all year long: Dog wakes up, chews me 24/7, a few minutes of relief as the dog goes on a walk, some more chewing because that dog just can’t get enough, repeat. To be fair to the dog, though, I guess I do look very chewable. From my bulging so-ugly-it’s-cute eyes to my tiny rubber duck wings, I’m just another toy in the dog’s eyes. Things are surprisingly tough being a chew toy. Sometimes, I wish I could be a human, and be able to communicate. I wish I could have someone to laugh with. I wish I could be able to share my thoughts and jokes and be able to see faces light up as people laughed at my stunts. Another nip in the waist by the dog yanked me back to reality. I froze. That’s when I realized . . . I COULD make someone happy. I COULD make someone’s face light up with joy. I smiled and for the first time, I looked at the dog through new eyes.
3) Imagine this: a student named Sharon is in school, constantly glancing at the clock to see if it’s recess yet. Finally, after what seems like a whole millenia, it’s recess. Sharon runs to the playground, trying to find a chance to chat with her friends. However, recess is over so fast that she is only able to make it halfway there to her friends. She enters the classroom again, half-heartedly doing her pop quiz, forlornly staring out the window and wishing it was still recess. Recess is very important, as shown above, not only because it is the only break in school, but also a student’s only chance to relax and helps them pay more attention in class. As a < number redacted for security > grader and a student myself, I know what it feels like to have a short recess and has also experienced what happens when I am deprived of a part of my recess and how it caused me to pay less attention in class because of my urge to go outside. Children should have a longer recess because it helps them focus more in class and develop a social eloquence. First of all, students should have a longer recess because it helps them focus more in class. For example, when students get a longer recess, they can let out all their energy so that they’re back in the classroom worn out and ready to learn. According to Angela Hanscom from edutopia.org, she states that, “ Recess sessions that last at least an hour have the potential to foster creative play……. [Many childhood centers] show that having a recess that is 40-60 minutes helps children develop problem-solving skills that require persistence and engagement.” When students don’t get enough recess, they can get more hyper in class, which is bad for not only the student but also the teacher. Teachers can have a harder time teaching the students, which can lead to further problems like failing school. This can cause students to get less of an opportunity to receive the education they could’ve had. Having shorter recess is like ensuring their failure in school. Ultimately, it is crucial that students should have an extended amount of recess so that they can be more attentive in class and successful in life. On the other hand, some teachers say that having recess can provide more opportunities to bully each other. This point of view makes sense because a longer recess can give people more chances to bully each other and having less recess can prevent that. However, it must be taken into account that students should not be deprived of their recess just because of a problem that isn’t worth a student’s learning for. According to Caralee Adams from Scholastics, she states that, “With recess, children have choices and can organize their own games, figure out what's fair, and learn a lot of social behavior that they don't learn in P.E..”Bullies exist no matter what, even with a shorter recess. Why take away a student’s recess just to try to protect them? It is very important to develop a social eloquence so you know how to act in that kind of situation. Having the ability to just ignore the bullies and “walk away” is a very important skill to have in life.. Having a longer recess can not only help students develop a social eloquence and also learn how to deal with bullies, but can also help them become independent. Therefore, a student’s recess shouldn’t be taken away just because bullies exist. All in all, a student’s recess is very crucial on a school day. Therefore, students should have a longer recess because it can help them focus in class and develop a social eloquence. Extending a student’s recess is important in many ways. Doing this can affect a student’s future and help them get a better learning advantage and possibly get a better job in the future. It can also affect a child’s social eloquence by not knowing how to act when in a situation with bullies.. If schools don’t make a change soon, kids would never get the chance of success they could’ve had. It’s now, or never.
