Hallie’s Horrible Handwriting

Table of Contents

• Things with Wings
• A Pupa Project
• Flutter By, Butterflies!
• Dear Parents

Things with Wings

Sunshine dances through the windows in Miss Sparks’ classroom. Miss Sparks holds up Hallie’s drawing to show all her students. They all “Ooohh” and “Aaahh.” Hallie explains she drew fairies and butterflies because she thinks things with wings are pretty.

Hallie loves her new teacher, and it’s only the second day of school. Miss Sparks reminds Hallie of a good fairy. And the classroom, painted green like grass on the walls and blue with clouds on the ceiling, with a big tree in the corner and a rainbow of counting beads below the chalkboard, remind her of something out of a fairytale, too. Hallie’s sure this must be the nicest classroom in Hopscotch Hill School, and Miss Sparks must be the nicest teacher.

Miss Sparks’ rules are clear:

1. We take turns.
2. We listen when others talk.
3. We raise our hands when we have something to say.

Hallie sees her friend, Logan, raise her hand. Logan points out the rabbit’s cage is empty. Miss Sparks smiles and explains the rabbit, Razzi, doesn’t like to stay in his hutch, so he could be anywhere around the room. Spencer, another student, says he’ll act like a carrot so he finds Razzi. But Hallie decides she wants to be the one to find Razzi. So she will be very quiet. She’ll do her best work so she’ll please Miss Sparks.

Miss Sparks hands back everyone’s drawings and tells them to fold them. She tells the students to write their names on the back of the paper, and it’ll become a name card for their desk.

Oh, no! Hallie knows how to spell her name, but she doesn’t like writing. She slowly starts to write an H. It looks caved in like it has a stomach ache. She erases it and looks around. Some children were already done writing. Skylar was already helping Logan.

Hallie feels an ache in her middle, just her H. She tries again, but this time, the two lines touch at the top like an A. She puts an H in front of her A.

Miss Sparks stops her, and asks her to use lowercase letters, too. Hallie responds by erasing the A. Hallie hears all the other students showing their names off to everyone. She feels immense pressure to finish writing in a hurry. Finally, she finishes. Her name looks horrible! When it’s her turn to share, she holds her name card down low so nobody can see it.

But Skylar can see it. “How come your e is so squashed?” asks Skylar. Hallie blushes, and she feels too ashamed to speak. Miss Sparks responds that everybody’s letters look a little different, and dismisses Hallie back to her seat. Hallie feels she’s disappointed Miss Sparks very much.