Why We Like Benjamin Franklin

Rebecca wrote an essay last night for the Lion's club contest question: "Who is your American Hero and Why?" At first she tried to follow the outline her teacher gave her about how to write a (boring) essay (that will blend in with everyone else's). I am really good at writing those kind of essays, but they are not as fun to read as the things Rebecca writes that have a little extra flair:) Then she decided to take a different approach and came up with something more "Rebeccaish." She was disappointed that she was confined to 1 page because she had so much more to say. Here is her final draft.
"Who is my American Hero and Why

To me, a hero is… someone who is educated, tries to improve themselves and their environment and do at least one thing to affect the world. Benjamin Franklin is all of these things. He is my American hero because…
He had many talents. Some of his talents are similar to mine. For example, he was very good at reading, good at writing and terrible at math, just like me. Because he wasn’t very good at math, his father only had him in school for 2 years, and then had him be in the candle making business. (Hey, I’m bad at math and handwriting, but I don’t get kicked out school. Sheesh!) As he became older, he became interested in politics. (I like that stuff too.) In fact he became involved in it. In the Revolutionary War, he convinced France to be their allies.
Another reason why Benjamin Franklin is my hero is because he didn’t just sit around. He did things. When he saw that the streets were unpaved, he started a program to pave them, along with cleaning and lighting them. His town didn’t treat the sick very well, so Ben organized a good hospital. Try to guess what he did when there were too many fires? That’s right, he started a fire department! My favorite thing that he did was start a public library. I love to read, so this is a big blessing for me.
I love writing just like Ben. When he was an apprentice for his brother James, he wrote letters signed, Mrs. Silence Dogood. The stories were so good that James published them in his newspaper, but as soon as he learned it was Ben, he stopped publishing it. When Ben grew older, he published Richard’s Almanac. Just like Ben I’d love to write more, but the rules say it can only be 1 pg. long. Ben was a great man."

I remember reading the autobiography of Benjamin Franklin in high school and being so impressed with his "program" for personal improvement and virtuous living. In fact, I was rereading it in college and invited Jared up to my apartment to share some of the gems from the book with him. He enjoyed the conversation and soon after, he asked me out and now we're living "happily ever after." So I guess we have Benjamin Franklin to thank for bringing our family together:)