Jessica the Nerd

The sixth grade class learns that a special two-week project called SOAR will be held. It emphasizes science. The students have to take a test to determine which ones will make that special class.

Now, I have a problem right off with this. No students are asked if they want to be in it; the test is involuntary. There is nothing said about students not being in the project if they don't want to be. This, to me, is wrong. Special classes like this should be voluntary.

On the other hand, if Jessica did not want to be in it, which she didn't, she should have either refused to take the test or, on purpose, put a bunch of wrong answers on it. The second would have been the more logical thing to do. She ends up placing high enough on the test to be put into the program which she then tries desperate to get out of but, as usual, adults won't listen to her.

The problem for Jessica is that this causes her social problems. She's a member of the Unicorns, and they disapprove of her being in the course since it doesn't match the normal things that the Unicorns ae interested in.

This shows what is often taken for granted, and that is girls are not smart enough to be in science and should just occupy themselves with traditional 'girly' types of things. Matters get worse when Janet, the president of the Unicorns, kicks Jessica out since she won't quite the special program which, by now, she has actually come to like.

The teacher helps Jessica to figure out how to present her case to the Unicorns about how science is important even in things they do. Things go bad, and then everything is cleared up.

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