“Hello, my name is Kate.” Everyone in the second grade was quiet as Kate began her life story. Everyone except for Jerry Slate, who was making faces and odd noises at Kate.
Mrs. Calhoun pointed her finger at Jerry and put it to her lips, asking him to be quiet. “Continue, Kate.”
Kate took a deep breath. She was nervous. She was the first one in her class to tell her story. The whole elementary school had been challenged by the principal, Mr. Steele, to tell their life stories on the last day of school. “Tell us about when you were born, what you like to do, and what you are doing this summer,” Mr. Steele said. So Kate had been thinking all week long about what she would say and the photographs she would show. Kate was a little shy, and the thought of standing in front of her class made her afraid. Sometimes she wished she were more like her little brother, JR. He always had something to say; he was never afraid.
“My name is Katelyn Suzanne. My parents named me after my grandmothers. My Grandma Sue called me Kate from the start. That made Grandma Katie very happy. I was born in April, which makes me eight years old. I have long, strawberry blond hair and blue eyes. My eyes are the same color blue as my father’s. Dad says I have my mother’s smile.” Kate held up a photo of her mother and father for the class to see. The photo showed her mother and father outside their house, sitting on the front porch swing.
“When I was two, my parents told me I was going to be a big sister. This is the tee-shirt I wore to the hospital to meet my baby brother, JR.” Kate held up a tiny white tee-shirt with pink flowers and the words “I am the BIG SISTER!” scrolled across the front. “I didn’t like him much at first; he cried a lot. Now he’s bigger, and we can play together.” Kate held up a photo of her brother JR for all to see: “This is when he was just a baby.”
“I have a big white cat named Samson. His fur is long and soft. He likes to rub up against my legs and purr.” Kate showed a photo of Samson curled in his favorite spot beside her bed. “I got Samson for my sixth birthday. JR and I have a dog named Buddy. I’m a little scared of him. He likes to jump up and give you a kiss. Once he knocked me down. It was an accident. After that, I decided he could be JR’s dog to run and play with. I just pat him on the head.” Kate glanced around the room. She spotted her best friend, Susie, who was nodding in agreement.
“I like school. Learning new things is fun. I also like to play with my best friends. We ride our bikes and sometimes we dress up like grown ladies to have tea and cookies. My Grandpa Jim built me a dollhouse. My Grandma Sue and I decorated the windows with curtains and bought furniture for the rooms. My friends and I play with our dolls and pretend that the dollhouse is their home. My brother gave me a red toy convertible for my birthday that the dolls can ride in.” Kate paused before proceeding. She felt better about speaking in front of the class. Their friendly faces made her feel at ease.
“I love to go outside and play with JR in the backyard. We have two swings, and we try to see who can touch the sky with our toes by going really, really high. Sometimes JR lets me come up and play in his tree house. I like to go up there and listen to the birds sing in the trees.”
“This summer, I am going to spend some time with my grandparents. We have a lot of things planned to do. Then my parents are taking JR and me to the beach for vacation. I plan to keep a journal and take photos of my summer vacation.” Kate returned to her seat as the class clapped.
“Thank you, Kate,” said Mrs. Calhoun, as Kate went back to her seat. “You did a very good job.”
Kate leaned back in her seat with a big smile on her face. She couldn’t wait to start summer vacation. There were so many things to do.
Down the hallway, Kate’s brother, JR, was waiting his turn to tell his life story. He was in kindergarten. When the teacher called his name, JR walked quickly to the front of the room. “Ladies and gentlemen, my name is JAMES RONALD!” JR shouted. His teacher, Ms. Smith, said, “Now, JR, use your inside voice to tell your story.” Everyone in his class laughed, because JR hardly ever used his inside voice. But this did not bother JR. He continued on with his story.
“My nickname is JR, pronounced Jay R, not Junior. My Grandpa Jim gave it to me when I was real little. I was born in November and am six years old. My mother said that I had to wait a year to start school because of my birthday. When I was born, I didn’t have any hair.” JR held up his baby photo to prove that he had no hair. “Now my hair is dark brown just like my dad’s. I have green eyes and about a million freckles.” JR leaned forward so that the class could see his freckles. “Grandpa Ron says I get my eyes and freckles from him.”
“Oh, I almost forgot. I have a big sister, Kate. She is in the second grade.” JR held up a photo of Kate. The photo showed Kate swinging in their backyard under the tree house.
“I like school, especially recess. I like to play ball with my friends.” JR turned to his teacher and said with a grin, “I like to talk with my friends at recess so we don’t get in trouble during class.” Ms. Smith gave him a nod to show she agreed with him. “My dad and I built a tree house in the backyard. I like to play with my friends in the tree house. We play with toy race cars. When we get hungry, my mom brings us lemonade in a canteen and peanut butter sandwiches. She puts them in the bucket at the bottom of the tree house, and we pull them up using a rope.” JR pretended to pull up a bucket by a rope. He then pretended to eat a sandwich and drink from a canteen as he said, “Mmmm.” The class giggled. Ms. Smith held up one finger to let JR know it was time to finish, but JR was too excited to stop.
“I have a train set and track in my room. I like to watch the train go around the track. I want to ride on a train one day. I have a dog named Buddy. His fur is brown, the color of chocolate. He lives in the backyard. Dad and I painted his doghouse. He likes to play catch with me. I throw balls and Frisbees, and he catches them in midair. Kate thinks Buddy is too rough. He likes to jump up and give you a great big wet kiss. He’s just happy. She has a silly old cat. All he does is purr and sleep. Don’t tell Kate, but I like Samson, too. When she is sleeping over at her friend’s home, I let Samson sleep in my room. I have a bike without training wheels that I can ride really, really fast.”
“JR—” The teacher started to speak, but JR continued. He had one more thing to say.
“This summer is going to be very exciting. What do you think I am doing?” he asked.
The class laughed and shouted, “Fishing!” They all knew. JR had talked about going fishing with his grandfather for weeks.
“That’s right! I am going to sports camp next week, too.” JR bowed to the class and returned to his seat as they clapped and giggled. JR’s teacher had to applaud also as she said, “Well done, JR.”
The bell rang. School was out for the summer! Kate and JR said goodbye to their friends and teachers and ran outside to the car pickup lane. Their mother was waiting for them in their blue SUV. They couldn’t wait to start their summer adventures.