This novel narrates the story of Ally Nickerson, a brilliant girl who has depicted discipline issues before the eyes of her teacher rather than revealing her inability to write and read. The worst part of the story is when she acknowledges to herself that she can't study. The story reflects the assertion of Albert Einstein "Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a book by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." Ally has a feeling of being a disappointment to everyone. School is a terrible encounter. It presents the reality of life, the inability to read and write. Ally's friends frequently tease her on her dumbness. Mr. Daniels, ally's new teacher, notices the girl's weakness and vows to work with her to help. Eventually, it turns out there is no silver bullet to the reading problems of a little child; instead, there is a solution to changing the beliefs and assertions of "impossible things'. Additionally, the novel narrates the importance of doing and perfecting what you can rather than struggling with what you are not good at.
The quote "everybody is a genius, but if you judge a book by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid" is interpreted differently according to context. The quote is mostly associated with a school where we tend to examine the performance of different students. To explain it literally, a fish is a genius in water because it can swim, and at the same time, stupid in climbing a tree because it can't navigate outside water. Tutors focus more on the student's performance in class while giving little attention to other talents and abilities. Different people have different skills and abilities. The novel relates to the quote in the sense that ally is unable to read and write-which makes her a fish climbing a tree, and Ally is good in artistic work and creative reasoning - which makes him genius like a swimming fish in the water.
Ally is a child of low-esteem. She feels so bitter to swallow the fact that Ally's attitude towards her capability to do something has changed drastically from the beginning of the story to the end. At the start of the story, ally felt helpless. She lacked confidence and thought nobody could rescue her nose-diving self-esteem. Towards the end, there is a peculiar turn of events, Ally became confident, an ambitious individual who later became the president of the class. The little girl changes her perception of impossibility. She rises above the intimidation from her friends, defies all odds, and makes a difference. Her new strength and character progressively alter her life. The coming of Mr. Daniels serves as the turning point in her life. Mr. Daniels, who is known for calling students "fantastico," identifies the abilities and weaknesses of the little child and backs her to attain individual best.
Ally, Albert, and Keisha are subjected to bullying. Jessica and shay frequently refer to the three as "misfit toys." The healthy relationship between the three turns out to be an inspiration. Ally and Keisha notice "Flint" word in Alberts shirt, a character who lives in the alienated planet to keep away from people who are not kind. Albert, Keisha, and Ally find this interesting. Later that afternoon, Keisha is motivational to her friend, she persuades Albert to confront the bullies who fight him, but Albert turns that down. Keisha weighs in to defend her friend ally after she wins the poetry award following the claims from shay that the victory was hers. Keisha dismisses the claims by shay that she deserves the award and convinces her friend, Ally, that she won. With the support of each other, they gain confidence and rise above the bullies. As a result, Albert gets the power to confidently face the bullies who beat him up. Despite rejecting the advice to fight back, Albert does not tolerate someone bullying his two friends, Ally and Keisha.
Mr daniels is a thoughtful and kind teacher. With his reputation of calling his students "fantastico," Mr. Daniels appreciates students' weaknesses and abilities while condemning bullying. Contrary to his fellow teacher, he is encouraging and quick in noticing students' weaknesses and potentials. Mr.Daniels plays a crucial role in Ally's life after always convincing her that she can make it. The dedication Mr. Daniels shows wins Ally's trust. This prompts Ally to work harder to attain proficiency. After Ally is diagnosed with dyslexia, Mr. Daniels promises to work hand in hand with her. He encourages her to play chess, which is more straightforward for a visual learner. Later in the story, the passionate teacher gives examples of legendary and successful individuals who had dyslexia, showing Ally that there is light at the end of the tunnel. The pieces of advice and the methods applied by Mr. Daniel significantly shapes the mentality of Ally.
The better part of this book describes the problems ally encounters and how she handles them. The author helps children to see past failures. The writer allows children to rise from their children and make significant changes in their life. As depicted in the story, everybody is good at something and weak at the other in equal measure. This book is also a blueprint for the children who encounter different problems in the course of their learning. With the central theme being friendship, the literature narrates the importance of good friendship in someone's life. Self-Esteem is a significant setback in an individual's career. It interferes with someone's confidence and ability to execute tasks in the course of a career. Upon comprehensive internalization of the book, it is easy to infer that intelligence is not a single dimension, rather a multidimensional aspect. One entity cannot be used to measure intelligence. For instance, the intelligence of Ally cannot be measured with her ability to read and write alone. She is intelligent in other aspects, like artwork. It is a piece of hope for people with dyslexia. From Ally's transformation, the author encourages similarly affected people to take the initiative and defy the odds.
Conclusion
This book is undeniably inspirational as an adult, it grants confidence and the energy to deal with different barriers encountered in life. It's a source of hope to the middle school students who have various difficulties in their studies. Additionally, it presents the middle-class students with the opportunity to identify their capabilities,what they are good at as well as the possible solutions to the setbacks they come across. However, I think it is too late to introduce this book in middle school. The early introduction is better. A late introduction can reach a point of no return for some children, causing a catastrophic failure.
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