Chapters 13-14 There's No Crying in Reading, or is there?

I know that I have told the class this story but I cry every time that I read Where the Red Fern Grows. I first read the book in 4th grade, actually my teacher, Mrs. Tarver, read it to us. I don’t really remember crying but I do remember liking the book. I forgot about it for a long time, until I was in college. One of my teachers mentioned it in class and I went out and bought a copy at Hastings Book store in St. Joe. I started reading it. At the time my grandmother was very ill and I was pretty emotional over that. I was playing baseball at the time for the Missouri Western Griffons and we had baseball study hall. I took the book with me and couldn’t stop reading it because it was so good but I also couldn’t stop crying. Try crying sometime around a whole team of baseball players. I don’t know if it was the emotions I was feeling about my grandmother or if I just understood the book better. Whatever it was, ever since then it has been my favorite book.

When I first started teaching I wanted to read it with my class. So I got my copy out and started reading it again. This time knowing that I would be teaching it. I still couldn’t keep from crying. Then I decided that I had cried my last tear over the book, I couldn’t cry in front of my class so I read it at home right before I started it with my class. I cried harder that time. Then I started reading it in front of my class. I was firmly convinced that I had the willpower to not cry as I read it. As I got to different parts of the book, I could feel my nose start to tingle (that is how I know when I’m going to cry). I held it back pretty well until the end and then I could hold it back no more. I cried, my class cried, I think people down the hall heard us and they cried. Looking back, it was a really cool experience. Not many teachers cry in front of their class, I think it brought us closer together, not to mention the fact that it takes a very powerful piece of literature to make someone cry. Very few books have had that effect on me ever.

This long story, leads into the question for today which is about crying. Look at the detail that I put into the story above and try to do the same for your answers.Question: On page 163, Billy says, “at that moment I’m sure no boy in the world could have been happier than I. Tears of happiness rolled down my cheeks.” Have you ever cried from happiness? If so describe the situation and how it felt. If not, think of something that might make you cry from happiness and describe it.