Jessica and Danny's Surprise

Jessica and her younger brother Danny sat on their living room couch watching TV.  They were trying to think of a good way to surprise their mom for her birthday.

“We have to think of something. Mom’s birthday is tomorrow!” Jessica said.

“Maybe we could buy Mom those earrings she wanted at the store,” suggested Danny. “Or the necklace she liked.”

“We can’t afford the necklace or the earrings,” Jessica pointed out. “And we gave her jewelry last year.”.

“What about baking Mom a cake? She’ll never suspect that we’d do that.” Danny said.

Jessica liked that idea. “That’s a good idea! And we have cake mix in the cabinet, too!” she exclaimed.

The next day Jessica and Danny walked home from school as quickly as possible. .

          “I’m happy we thought of something to do for Mom,” said Danny. “By the way, you know how to make a cake, right?”

          “Of course I do,” answered Jessica. “As long as we have all the ingredients, it’s easy.”

“We have to hurry,” said Danny. “Mom’s going to come home from work soon.”

“You’re right. Go get out a pot and the cake mix.” demanded Jessica.

Danny looked a little annoyed, but he did what he was told. 

Jessica glanced at the directions on the back of the package. She took out the vegetable oil and the measuring cup.  Danny took the measuring cup and filled it with water.

         

          “And the last ingredient is eggs,” said Jessica. “I’ll go get them.”

          Jessica looked in the refrigerator.

          “Danny, I don’t think we have any eggs in here!”

          “Are you sure?” he answered. “You said we had everything we needed!”

          “Wait, didn’t Mom make a cake for Grandpa for his anniversary last week?” remembered Jessica.

          “Yeah, she did! Now what do we do?” asked Danny.

          “I’ll call Grandma,” Jessica said. “She can help us.”

         

Jessica and Danny called their grandparents but there was no answer.

          “The only one else to call is Aunt Emily.” said Danny.

Aunt Emily lived near them, and usually helped them with their problems.

“We can just walk to her house. It will take too long to call.” Jessica said as she walked out the door.

When arriving at Aunt Emily’s house, Jessica and Danny quickly explained the story about how they ran out of ingredients.

          “Yes, I have eggs and I can help you,” Aunt Emily replied. “I’ll give you a ride home so it takes you quicker to finish the cake.”

          When they arrived at their house Jessica and Danny were relieved when they didn’t see Mom’s car parked outside.

          Aunt Emily gave Jessica the eggs.

          “Thanks, Aunt Emily!” they replied in unison.

          Aunt Emily drove away and Jessica and Danny ran inside. Danny cracked the eggs and stirred up the cake mix. Finally, they put the cake in the oven.

          Suddenly, they heard the door open.

          “I’m home!” Mom called. “Why is it so hot in here? Is something in the oven?”

After hesitating, Jessica and Danny quickly explained what had happened.

          “Thank you for wanting to surprise me,” said Mom.

          “It’s not really a surprise anymore,” Danny pointed out.

          “But we still have the cake, and it will be done soon,” said Jessica.

          Soon the cake was done, and Mom liked her cake even though  it hadn’t been a surprise.

     When being persistent, many lessons can be learned. The Japanese proverb "Fall down seven times, stand up eight." demonstrates this concept. No matter how many timees you have failed, you should try to achieve your goal again. Many opportunities will be presented to you if you are determined to achieve your goal.
     As a six year old, it was very difficult for me to learn how to ride my bicycle. It seemed like my parents were trying to teach me forever. Although it wasn't that fun learning to ride a bike, I always insisted on practicing for hours. After several months, I was riding my bike well, and all of the time I put into riding my bike had paid off. This practice not only resulted in me being able to ride a bicycle, it also taught me the value of being persistent. Now I realize that was the most important lesson that I had learned. Persistance doesn't just apply when learning a skill, it also is essential in society.
     Sending a man to the moon has always been a major accomplishment. However, it wasn't as easy as it seems to be. Sending someone to the moon took a lot of persistance. It took over 50 attempts, and many years to accomplish. Finally, NASA declared they would put someone on the moon by 1970. By July of 1970, this goal was reached. When achieving one's goal, persistance is always needed.
     According to Napoleon Bonaparte, "Impossible is a word only to be found in the dictionary of fools." With determination and when thinking positive, nothing is impossible. Whether it is learning to ride a bike, or sending someone to the moon, it can be accomplished.  In conclusion, with persistence, anything can be achieved.

No Homework

    Over the years, homework has been quite a debatable topic with children and teachers. Recently, there has been a proposal made by the Edison Board of Education enforcing no homework for student K-12. This is indeed a wise decision, it's advantages outweighing it negatives. It is in the favorable decision of the Edison students to not be required to have homework because it provides them more time to be outside, homework is too time-consuming, and is unhealthy.
    Adults often complain when their children spend too much time indoors. This will not be a problem if the no-homework policy is enforced. Studies show that when students have less homework, they are more likely to be outdoors. Too much time indoors is more of a problem in the winter when it gets dark out earlier. When students have homework, it takes most students about an hour to do. When it darker earlier, it is too late to go outside. Opponents of no homework claim students will spend more time playing video games, rather than going outside. Fortunately, studies show the majority students will spend time outside when it's a nice day. If the policy of no homework is used, it will be a decrease in students who stay inside on nice  days.
     Most families rush to get everything done after school. If students do not have homework after school, it will save families a lot of time. Since most students balance school as well extracirricular activities, parents have to rush to get them to the place they are supposed to be. If the students don't have homework, it will save them the time it takes to get ready, too. The opposition will claim that students will still be rushing without homework. However, there will be a noticeably longer time period between school and activities, and that will cause less rushing. Time will not be an issue if there is no homework.
     In society, health is also a large issue. Many students are tired in the morning because they go to bed too late. This issue is often caused by homework. When students have a large amount of homework, they tend to procratinate and do it last at the latest possible time. This causes stress and anxiety in students. If there is no homework, these issues will be elliminated. Opponents of this policy claim that students stay up late for other reason- not homework. Yet studies show the most popular reason why students stay up late in fact is homework. Health issues that include students being tired will be excluded if the no homework policy is confirmed.
      It's in the best interest of the students to enforce the no-homework policy. Because this policy causes students to be outside more and provides more time after school, it has many beneficial outcomes. Also, homework causes health issues. In conclusion, having a no-homework policy can ensure students have time to participate in activities after school without homework occupying all of their free-time.