The teacher wrote the day’s journal assignment on the blackboard: “Write a paragraph about yourself; make sure to use descriptive adjectives.” That night, while grading the journal entries, the teacher found one that stood out from the rest:
My name is Jane, but kids do not call me by my name. They call me fatso, hippo, piggy-wiggy, blimp, heifer, and two-ton. Mostly, they whisper in front of me and laugh at me. I do not have any friends. I’m embarrassed to go to school or to even be seen in public. That is why I’m absent from school a lot. I want to find a hiding place and never come out. I don’t have any brothers or sisters. I love my mom and dad more than anything else. I guess my best friend is my dog, Snowball. I love her too. She is the only one that sees me cry. I feel like crying all day, every day. I wish that I were not overweight. I weigh 200 pounds. Mom and Dad are overweight too. All of us are trying very hard to lose weight. If I don’t lose weight, I will be taken away from Mom, Dad, and Snowball. I’m so scared. The more I try to lose weight, the more I seem to gain. I don’t know what to do. Mom and Dad are scared too. They try not to show it, but I can tell by their faces that they are scared. Every night I hug Snowball, close my eyes, and pray that everything will be alright.