Read All About It! by Rachel Wise Page A

took out the new curriculum materials. I
     didn’t let my mom see the Know-It-All letters. I had my professional standard of
     anonymity to uphold, after all. Even if Mr. Trigg had told
     her, we didn’t have to talk about it.
    I laid the curriculum materials out on the table between us and we
     looked at them.
    â€œIt’s interesting,” said my mom. “I can see both
     sides.”
    â€œWhat are both sides?” I asked. A
     lot of this was still unclear to me.
    â€œWell, the traditionalists like the subject-based approach, where
     in math you learn math and in English you learn reading and writing. But in the new
     curriculum you learn to look at topics from many angles. You learn how to sift through
     different kindsof information. You learn how to ask questions. It
     might not work for every kind of student.”
    â€œI already know how to ask questions,” I said with a
     grin.
    â€œYou sure do, sweetheart,” said my mom, rubbing my back
     briskly. “So you will do just fine. Just remember, not everything has a one-word
     answer. Not everything is cut-and-dried.”
    â€œI know, Mom. I tried to remember that when I was sitting in the
     principal’s office this afternoon.”
    â€œWHAT?!” Her shocked reaction was just what I’d hoped
     for.
    â€œGotcha!” I laughed. “I interviewed him about the new
     curriculum.”
    â€œOh, Samantha, you nearly gave me heart failure! Well, just
     remember to always be polite and be pleasant. My dear grandmother used to say . .
     .”
    â€œI know, I know . . .”
    â€œYou catch more bees with honey!” We said it at the same
     time and laughed.

Chapter 8
    STOMACH RUCKUS
     DRIVES AWAY HOTTIE
    I was lying in bed that night, thinking back over the day and
     especially about the meeting with Mr. Pfeiffer, when suddenly, I sat bolt upright.
    Oh my goodness! We’d been snowed!
    The whole time that Michael and I had been meeting with Mr. Pfeiffer,
     the principal’s enthusiasm swept us along and we’d never asked him any hard
     questions or anything! How had I, of all people, not asked any probing questions? How
     had I, of all people, gone though that whole half hour without trying to poke any holes
     in his story or his facts? Was it because I wasn’t using my notebook? Yes. Was I
     distracted by Michael’s presence? Yes. Was I distracted by the hand-slamming
     incident? Yes. WasI intimidated by the principal? Yes, yes, yes,
     and yes!
    Martone Blows First Major Interview!
    I was ashamed of myself. I’d wasted an important opportunity and
     Mr. Trigg would have been very disappointed in me. It was not the behavior of an editor
     in chief in training! I was behaving like a rookie!
    Now my adrenaline was pumping and I had to turn on the light and grab my
     notebook. I brainstormed some questions for Mr. Pfeiffer and wrote them down, vowing to
     myself that I would ask them at the PTA meeting. I could not let another opportunity
     escape me.
    Once I had everything safely logged in my notebook, I began to calm
     down. Reviewing my new set of questions, my heart stopped racing and I began to feel
     like I was back in control. I turned off my light and lay there in the darkness,
     resolving to be tougher than ever in my reporting. Facts
     matter , I scolded myself. Don’t be distracted by
     your emotions , I chanted in my head.
    As much as I love news reporting, I still have a long way to go.

    The PTA meeting in the school auditorium on Thursday night was
     mobbed. Nearly everyone who was there was ready to debate for and against the new
     curriculum. It could get rowdy. Actually, I hoped it would! That would make a great
     story.
    I got there early and snagged a seat in the second row near the center.
     I put my messenger bag on the chair next to me. Michael had said if I got there first, I
     should save him a seat, but I hadn’t seen any sign of him. I knew he had