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Writing Samples
The following sample is part of the introduction to a course I created for Barnes and Noble University. BNU courses are free non-credit courses offered online. This one is entitled "Teach Your Child About Literature With Harry Potter." Please note: All writing samples at this site are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the consent of the publisher and/or author.  Why Teach Your Child About Literature?
If you love to read, you already know what an important part literature plays in your life. You're never bored because a whole world of people and events and information is waiting inside the cover of the book you're reading...if only you could find more time to read it! Developing a habit of reading on a daily basis is a positive one. Children who read at or above their grade level do better in all of their classes because they all involve reading and comprehension. And the more you read, the better you get at it, just like playing the piano or cooking or shooting baskets.
Good literature, of course, is much more than a riveting plot that keeps you turning pages. Popular romances and mysteries rely mostly on plot to hook readers. Beautiful but wary woman meets hunky tough guy, sparks fly, and-you read the story because you want to find out what happens next. Literary fiction emphasizes character development. There is an interesting plot all right, but it's not so much what the characters DO as what they LEARN, about themselves and others, even if the romance goes bad or the mystery remains unsolved.
The Importance of Characters
Characters in good literary fiction are so believable that even as adults we can't quite believe they're not real. Picture Scarlett O'Hara, Romeo and Juliet, or even the little boy in "Where the Wild Things Are." Do you see living, breathing human beings, or just words on a page?
Because characters who are well-portrayed seem so real, we identify with them, feeling their sorrows and triumphs, wishing we could give them a little advice, sorry to read the last page of their story because we'll actually miss them for a few days. We're delighted when a favorite author publishes a new title, even more so if characters from a book we've previously read reappear in the new one.
Children identify with the characters in their favorite books, too. J. K. Rowling has created, in Harry Potter, a character that has readers enthralled. Perhaps it's that Harry is so normal, so much like them, and that he proves himself to be so special. As Harry's fans await the next title in the seven-book series, they speculate on what will happen next, meet in chat rooms, correspond with Potter pen pals in other countries, and search for clues about coming events in the already-published novels.
Children tend to read books for the story. When assigned the classic "book report," most young readers give an event-by-event synopsis. It is only when we ask them to look deeper and think harder that they can reap rewards that go beyond entertainment and literal-level comprehension. With you as a guide, your child can explore literature in a completely new way.
This is a sample from Success Without College: Careers in Cosmetology (Barron's, 2000). The book is marketed to public and school libraries and is also available in bookstores and at all major online booksellers' sites.
The Greenville program is associated with the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA). VICA encourages vocational students to participate in this club, which stresses the acquisition of skills needed by anyone entering the business world directly from high school. VICA members learn skills like how to write a good resume and cover letter and how to dress for a job interview. (You can find out if there is a school in your area offering a VICA program by calling (703) 777-8810.)
Two advantages of taking classes during high school are that you pay no tuition and you are getting a head start on a career. One disadvantage of some high school programs is that there is no training salon where students can get hands-on experience. This part of the training still has to be completed in a private beauty school, vocational school, or community college before the student can take the state licensing exam.
Vocational/technical schools offer comprehensive training programs which prepare students to pass the state licensing exams. Vo-tech schools offer classes to high school students in lieu of their regular high school programs, and also admit adults in the community who are training for a new career. At the Warren County Technical School in Warren County, New Jersey, prospective cosmetology students must pass an entrance examination before they can enroll in the 1,000-hour state certified cosmetology course. They must maintain a "B" average to remain in the program.
Students at WCTS learn about hair, scalp, and skin care, coloring, cutting, and waving hair, decontamination and infection control, barbering and salon management, nail technology and terminology, professional ethics, personal appearance and other basic cosmetology topics. After completing 600 hours, they are eligible to work in the school salon, which is open to the public two days a week for salon services. Upon completion of 1,000 hours of experience, students are ready to take the state licensing exam and go to work. See more sample pages from this book at the amazon.com website. Use the "Look Inside" feature.? Copyrighted material. Mary L. Dennis  You need an Editor if... | Better reading, writing, and listening | Fees | Contact Mary L. Dennis 11173 NE 227th Place Road, Fort Mc Coy, Florida 32134-4500 352-546-2541 · FAX 352-546-1020 · AuthorMLD@aol.com |
In every state, cosmetologists must pass a state board examination in order to become licensed. Until you have your license, you cannot legally practice cosmetology. Training courses at high schools, vocational schools, beauty schools and community colleges teach you what you need to know in order to pass the board exam for your particular state. Requirements vary from state to state, but most require between 1200 and 1600 classroom hours of study. There is a minimum age of 16 or 17, and entrants are usually required to have completed at least the 9th grade. Some programs require a high school diploma or GED. In a few states, you may work as an apprentice cosmetologist for a specific number of hours and then take your licensing exam.
Many high schools offer programs where a student may spend part of the day studying cosmetology and another part completing requirements for a high school diploma. At both Daniel Boone and David Crockett High Schools in Greeneville, Tennessee, students can take a three-year or four-year program in Cosmetology, beginning in either ninth or tenth grade. Arrangements with area beauty colleges allow students to take additional hours, if needed, after they graduate from high school.