"The First Day" by Edward P. Jones
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About the author, Edward P. Jones
1. Edward P. Jones was born in Washington D.C., where the story takes place.
2. Edward P. Jones barely fit in with kids at school, and neither did the girl in the story.
3. Edward P. Jones' parents were sometimes neglectful to him, and in the story, he makes the girl ashamed of her mother.
4. Edward P. Jones at first didn't like learning, but he became a professional teacher, which is why he made the story about a girl starting school.
5. Edward P. Jones based the book on a lot of real life things and memories, such as lifestyles, food, etc.
1. Edward P. Jones was born in Washington D.C., where the story takes place.
2. Edward P. Jones barely fit in with kids at school, and neither did the girl in the story.
3. Edward P. Jones' parents were sometimes neglectful to him, and in the story, he makes the girl ashamed of her mother.
4. Edward P. Jones at first didn't like learning, but he became a professional teacher, which is why he made the story about a girl starting school.
5. Edward P. Jones based the book on a lot of real life things and memories, such as lifestyles, food, etc.
Pre-reading Reflection
I cannot remember how I felt on my first day of school. For kindergarten, I went to Our Lady of the Valley (OLV) and to go to school with a bunch of people I had never seen before, I was petrified. And the next year, when I came here to St. John Eudes, it was the same thing, but here I made more friends than I could've at OLV. When I started going to school here, images of kindness and friendship came to my mind, and I knew this was a better school to go. My earliest memory of my mother and father was when I went to preschool. They would always pick me up and give me a snack, and I felt loved. When I recall this memory, I feel warm and welcome with my family. This memory compares to my relationship with them now not very much, because things get tough nowadays, but I always get through it.
I cannot remember how I felt on my first day of school. For kindergarten, I went to Our Lady of the Valley (OLV) and to go to school with a bunch of people I had never seen before, I was petrified. And the next year, when I came here to St. John Eudes, it was the same thing, but here I made more friends than I could've at OLV. When I started going to school here, images of kindness and friendship came to my mind, and I knew this was a better school to go. My earliest memory of my mother and father was when I went to preschool. They would always pick me up and give me a snack, and I felt loved. When I recall this memory, I feel warm and welcome with my family. This memory compares to my relationship with them now not very much, because things get tough nowadays, but I always get through it.
Vocabulary
Vigorously: Furiously/seriously. "My mother shakes her head vigorously." (Pg.25)
Liable: Likely/possibly. "I am learning this about my mother: the higher up on the scale of respectability a person is—and teachers are rather high up in her eyes—the less she is liable to let them push her around." (Pg.25)
Absently: Automatically/constantly. "But it is not across the street from my mother's church, her rock, one of her connections to God, and I sense her doubts as she absently rubs her thumb over the back of her hand." (Pg.26)
Strewn: Spread/thrown/tossed. "Strewn about the floor are dozens and dozens of pieces of white paper, and people are walking over them without any thought of picking them up." (Pg.26)
Possessively: Dominantly. "On the table beside the woman's pocketbook is a large notebook, worthy of someone in high school, and looking at me looking at the notebook, the girl places her hand possessively on it." (Pg.26)
Enunciates: Pronounces. "My mother slowly enunciates each word of my name." (Pg.27)
Immunization: Vaccination. "I have never seen her do in other places: my birth certificate, my baptismal record, a doctor's letter concerning my bout with chicken pox, rent receipts, records of immunization, a letter about our public assistance payments, even her marriage license—every single paper that has anything even remotely to do with my five year old life." (Pg.27)
Vigorously: Furiously/seriously. "My mother shakes her head vigorously." (Pg.25)
Liable: Likely/possibly. "I am learning this about my mother: the higher up on the scale of respectability a person is—and teachers are rather high up in her eyes—the less she is liable to let them push her around." (Pg.25)
Absently: Automatically/constantly. "But it is not across the street from my mother's church, her rock, one of her connections to God, and I sense her doubts as she absently rubs her thumb over the back of her hand." (Pg.26)
Strewn: Spread/thrown/tossed. "Strewn about the floor are dozens and dozens of pieces of white paper, and people are walking over them without any thought of picking them up." (Pg.26)
Possessively: Dominantly. "On the table beside the woman's pocketbook is a large notebook, worthy of someone in high school, and looking at me looking at the notebook, the girl places her hand possessively on it." (Pg.26)
Enunciates: Pronounces. "My mother slowly enunciates each word of my name." (Pg.27)
Immunization: Vaccination. "I have never seen her do in other places: my birth certificate, my baptismal record, a doctor's letter concerning my bout with chicken pox, rent receipts, records of immunization, a letter about our public assistance payments, even her marriage license—every single paper that has anything even remotely to do with my five year old life." (Pg.27)
Contrasting Ideas
Confident
1. The narrator seems confident when she explains what she is wearing, like she is proud of it.
2. The narrator seems confident when she says "my shoes are the greatest joy" on pg.24
3. The narrator seems confident when she explains what she is carrying with her, like if she is prepared for the first day of school.
4. The narrator seems confident when she says she had figured out her mother has some sort of "respectability" scale, and the teachers are rather high up.
Nervous
1. The narrator seems nervous even when she says what she is wearing, because she probably wants to look good so she can make a good impression.
2. The narrator seems nervous when she sees that the streets are always filled with children, because she says it in a shy kind of way.
3. The narrator seems nervous when she sees that there was paper all over the floor, and no one picked it up, and it gave her an idea of how bad the class was.
4. The narrator seems nervous when she is left at school without her mother, because she says that even though her mother was far away, she could sense she was near.
Confident
1. The narrator seems confident when she explains what she is wearing, like she is proud of it.
2. The narrator seems confident when she says "my shoes are the greatest joy" on pg.24
3. The narrator seems confident when she explains what she is carrying with her, like if she is prepared for the first day of school.
4. The narrator seems confident when she says she had figured out her mother has some sort of "respectability" scale, and the teachers are rather high up.
Nervous
1. The narrator seems nervous even when she says what she is wearing, because she probably wants to look good so she can make a good impression.
2. The narrator seems nervous when she sees that the streets are always filled with children, because she says it in a shy kind of way.
3. The narrator seems nervous when she sees that there was paper all over the floor, and no one picked it up, and it gave her an idea of how bad the class was.
4. The narrator seems nervous when she is left at school without her mother, because she says that even though her mother was far away, she could sense she was near.