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The Pen is Mightier than the Sword!

In the past few hours alone, I've had students lobby me to do some pretty varied things. They've pushed me to buy new video games, they've attempted to prove God's nonexistence, explained why girls have it tougher growing up, and made it clear that pet therapy programs benefit hospital patients. Not only have they done this in the span of but a few hours, they have done it without speaking a single word. That's right. I'm grading persuasive essays. Besides those listed above, here are some of the topics so far:

1. Embryonic stem cell research is morally wrong.
2. Homework should be banned.
3. The death penalty should be abolished.
4. The keeping of animals in zoos is morally wrong.
5. School lunch programs should offer only healthy food choices.
6. Sex education should be taught in middle and high school.
7. Marijuana should be legalized.
8. Contemporary music teaches immoral behavior.
9. School should start later in the day
10. We should keep a military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan.
11. Schools should be allowed to search students for drugs.

I'm proud of how much my students have grown as writers. Forget the fact that thirteen years old is about the age when kids naturally start to develop higher-end reasoning skills. I'm going to believe that I helped them develop as writers. Okay, so maybe that's true and maybe it's not, but at least I get a front-row seat to see them grow academically.

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