Why does Jimmy doubt he will be able to sleep?
A. He is feeling ill after working very hard on his speech.
B. He is not really enthusiastic about the topic of his speech.
C. He is worried about the speech he has to make.
D. He is generally nervous and uneasy about school.
Jimmy reread his notes one more time, then stared up at the clock. It was 10:00 and he had to get to bed, though he doubted he'd be able to sleep.
At school, Jimmy's classes were easy enough, and when assignments did become challenging, he just worked hard and got them done. But this assignment was different.
Mr. Wycliffe had been very clear that students would need to elaborate on the main points about their topics, rather than standing before the class and reading verbatim from their notes. "You're the expert on your topic," he had said.
Jimmy had plenty of confidence in what he had noted about the forces that allow 30-ton airplanes to stay aloft in the sky, but that did nothing for him. Earlier in the day, his friend Kelly had tried to help him out.
"Think about it, Jimmy," Kelly had said. "You get to be the 'expert' like Mr. Wy says. Just look up every now and then, and you've got it made."
"I don't know," Jimmy had moaned.
"Come on," Kelly said, with a playful punch in the shoulder. Then, he stood and gestured with his hands outstretched as if cradling a fragile ball of glass. "Your topic is your passion. Let your passion come through, and your audience will listen," he said, quoting Mr. Wycliffe and imitating the teacher's accent.
Jimmy had finished the day well enough, but the speech never left his mind. He had felt little comfort when over dinner his dad, as he had expected, said, "You've got this, Jimmy. Just go for it." These words replayed in his mind as he finally drifted off to sleep.
Thankfully, Mr. Wycliffe's class was first in Jimmy's schedule the next morning. When he was called to make the first presentation, Jimmy was relieved. At least I'll get it over with, he thought. Then, as he approached the podium in the front of the classroom, his dad's words came back to him: "Just go for it." So that's what he did.
The fact was, Jimmy really liked airplanes and hoped to become a pilot one day, and as he started to speak, his passion began to shine through. He had written thorough notes, but they showed just a small bit of the knowledge and enthusiasm he had for the topic, and he quickly abandoned them.
Before he knew it, Mr. Wycliffe, with a big grin of approval, was motioning for Jimmy to wrap up his presentation. As he headed for his seat, the teacher cleared his throat. Puzzled, Jimmy turned around.
"You can keep these," his teacher said with smile, taking the notes from the podium and handing them to Jimmy. Then, he added, "Nice job."