Schreiben

First read the tasks carefully.
Then read the text A Meeting with Mr. Sockson the following page.
Then do the tasks. Make sure to write about all the aspects presented in each task.

Describe what you get to know about Addison and the situation she is in.

(8 BE)

Explain how Addison experiences the situation she is in.

Focus on

her feelings,
her behaviour.

(10 BE)

You have a choice here. Choose one of the following tasks. Do only ONE of them!

Addison’s mom believes that “There are two sides to every story.” (l. 42)

Do you think this is true? Comment on the statement.

Include the following aspects:

Addison’s situation
the importance of talking about things
your own experience

(12 BE)

After talking to her mother, Addison decides to write a letter to Priya.

Write Addison’s letter.

Include the following aspects:

why she reacted the way she did after Priya had called her stupid
how she now feels about what she did to Priya
how they should behave around each other in order to avoid going to the counsellor

You can start like this:

Dear Priya,

I really think we should talk about …

(12 BE)

A Meeting with Mr. Socks

Excerpt from the novel Poison Town by Elyssa Campbell (2024)

Addison Woods gets into trouble at school. Her mom, Claire, is a teacher at Addison’s school.

Mann im Anzug sitzt hinter einem Schreibtisch in einem Büro mit Computer und zwei Besucherstühlen.

To be fair, this was only the second time I’d been called to Principal

Socks’ office. I was waiting for him to get off the phone with Mom.

It was so hot in here. Sweat glued my bangs¹ to my forehead. The office was a square box with tall

windows, but Principal Socks kept the windows shut, blocking out fresh air and sunlight.

Principal Socks set down the phone.

“Sorry, could you open a window?” I wiped my forehead under my bangs. My hands were sweaty

too. Okay, maybe it wasn’t just the air. Maybe I was a little nervous.

Principal Socks rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. “Addison, I hope you’ve been reflecting

on the consequences of your little prank²?” It was a question, but before I could answer he reminded

me, “You filled Priya Gill’s locker with insects.”

“She called me stupid,” I said quietly.

“She called you stupid, so you filled her locker with –”

“Not insects. An earthworm,” I interrupted³. “One worm. One. I didn’t fill her locker with them.

She’s totally making it sound worse than it was …”

Oops. Interrupting him had been a mistake.

“This is your second strike⁴.” Clicking a red pen, he opened a big folder of class lists and marked

another ‘X’ next to Addison Woods.

I wiped my sweaty hands on my jeans. My first strike had been for missing homework. One more

and there would be, to quote Principal Socks, Serious consequences, young lady. Maybe an

in-school suspension⁵. Still, I felt less stressed knowing that the name right below mine – Jamie

Woods, my brother – had a full row of red Xs for not going to school, arguments, not turning in

homework, and lots more. And all this in the year since we moved to this town.

So, I was doing fine. Relatively.

“What can you do so you don’t end up in my office again?”

“Uh …” Honestly, it had been the same quiz since kindergarten. The answer could be:

a) talk it out,

b) ignore Priya,

c) “We could bring it to the counsellor⁶?”

Slowly, Socks nodded. Ding, ding, ding! “c” was the right answer! My shoulders relaxed.

Someone knocked on the door and I turned around in my chair.

My heart started to race when Mom opened the door. “You two are almost finished?”

“Please, come in, Claire.” Socks waved Mom in and waved me out.

For the next three hours – or maybe it was just ten minutes – I sat outside the principal’s office,

waiting for Socks and Mom to finish talking.

After trying to smile at the secretary and getting a raised eyebrow in return, I avoided making eye

contact.

The principal’s office door shut with a click. Mom’s shadow fell over me. I was fourteen, and just a

few inches shorter than her. I was a photocopy of Mom, with my light-brown hair and bangs. We

dressed alike too. We were average height but quite slim, and all muscle and bone.

“What’s going on, Addie?” Mom crossed her arms and waited.

“Didn’t you get the whole story in there?”

“There are two sides to every story.” Mom turned her head toward the hall. “Let’s walk. Come on.”

¹bangs – hair that hangs across the forehead right over your eyes

²prank – a trick that is played as a little joke

³to interrupt – to say sth. that makes sb. stop what they are saying or doing

⁴strike – here: warning

⁵in-school suspension – a form of punishment that keeps students in school and doing work separated from others

⁶counsellor – a person who is trained to help others with their problems

Campbell, Elyssa (2024). Poison Town. Lorimer Children and Teens.

(Adapted)

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Please note: The solutions presented here are just one possible way to approach the task. There are often multiple valid methods and perspectives, and alternative approaches may be equally effective.

Addison is a fourteen-year-old girl who is currently waiting in the principal's office because she got into trouble at school. It is her second time there, and her first "strike" was for missing homework. This time, she is in trouble because she put an earthworm into the locker of a classmate named Priya Gill. She did this because Priya had called her "stupid." Addison is now waiting for Principal Socks to finish talking with her mother, Claire. The situation is especially difficult for Addison because her mother is actually a teacher at the very same school.

Addison is very nervous and uncomfortable in the situation. Her feelings of anxiety are shown by the fact that she is sweating heavily, as sweat "glued her bangs to her forehead" (l. 3) and her hands are sweaty. Even though she blames it on the hot, stuffy room, she admits to herself that she might be nervous. When her mother finally arrives, her fear peaks and her "heart started to race" (l. 31).

Her behaviour also reflects how stressed she is. She tries to wipe the sweat off her forehead and hands on her jeans to calm down. When the principal exaggerates her prank by saying she "filled her locker with–", she reacts defensively and interrupts him to correct him, which she quickly realises was a mistake. Interestingly, she tries to make herself feel better by comparing her situation to her brother Jamie, who has a much worse record at school. Later, when she is waiting in the hallway, she avoids eye contact with the secretary, showing that she is ashamed or uncomfortable. When her mother comes out, Addison acts a bit defensive, asking if she didn't "get the whole story in there" (l. 41).

Addison's mom says that "there are two sides to every story," which means that in a conflict, both people involved usually have their own perspective and reasons for what they did. I completely agree with this statement.

In Addison's situation, Principal Socks only sees the prank: Addison put a worm in Priya's locker. From his point of view, Addison is just a troublemaker who broke the rules. However, Addison's side of the story is that Priya provoked her by calling her "stupid" first. While putting a worm in a locker is certainly not the right reaction, understanding Priya's insult explains why Addison felt hurt and angry enough to do it.

This shows why talking about things is so important. If authority figures like teachers or parents only look at the final action, they might punish someone without solving the real problem. By communicating and listening to both sides, people can clear up misunderstandings and find the root cause of a conflict, just like the school counsellor could do for Addison and Priya.

In my own experience, I once had a big argument with a friend because she ignored me for days. I was angry and told other people she was being rude. But when we finally talked, I found out she was having family problems and just needed to be alone. If we hadn't talked, I would have only seen my side of the story and we might have lost our friendship. Therefore, it is always best to listen to both sides before judging a situation.

Dear Priya,

I am writing this letter because I think we really should talk about what happened between us recently.

First of all, I want to explain why I reacted the way I did. When you called me stupid, it really hurt my feelings and made me incredibly angry. I felt like I needed to get back at you, which is why I came up with the idea to put the earthworm in your locker. I just wanted you to feel as bad as you made me feel.

However, I now realise that what I did was totally wrong. Getting revenge didn't solve anything. Putting a worm in your locker was immature, gross, and it only escalated the situation between us. It also got me in serious trouble with Principal Socks and my mom, and I honestly regret doing it. I am sorry for scaring you with the worm.

Since neither of us wants to spend our time sitting in the counsellor's office, I think we need to find a way to deal with each other. We don't have to be best friends, but we should agree to be respectful. If we just ignore each other or stay polite when we have to work together in class, we can avoid any more drama.

Let me know what you think.

Addison

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