Social Justice in Flying Solo

     Have you ever tried to rebel against society, even if it was in a subtle way? The book Flying Solo by Ralph Fletcher is all about the upsides and downsides of a small-scale rebellion. The story centers around Mr. Fabiano's sixth grade class, and how they decide to run the class themselves when their substitute never shows up. I think the silly, overdramatized rebellion in this book really symbolizes the relationship between kids and adult, and about social justice on an educational level.
     The kids choose to run the class themselves because they want to prove themselves. For instance, when the kids are making the decision, one character, Jasmine, says "I mean, if we can't run this class for one day, we're a total bunch of losers." I think this is what a lot of rebellions are essentially about. It's about showing that you can do something, even if there will be consequences. I think all the characters in Flying Solo know there will be consequences. However, they are ready to take the risk which, in my opinion, makes them pretty brave. A lot of rebellions require a catalyst - something that happened, even if it was a while ago, that sets off the rebellion. For the class in Flying Solo, that something is the death of classmate Tommy Feathers. Since the day the book takes place on is the six-month anniversary of Tommy's death, even though it might not be visible at first glance, it seems that a big part of the little rebellion is honoring him. Through all the crucial moments during that one day, the students are thinking about Tommy, ending finally in what ends up being an independent writing exercise to reflect on him. As one of the characters, Karen, says to Mr. Fab in her final writing piece, "If you were with us I seriously doubt we would have talked and written about Tommy Feathers." To me, it seems like part of the reason why the students rebelled was so that they would finally have some time to process what happened to their classmate and work through it together. Another requirement of a rebellion is a leader. This leader comes in the form of Karen Ballard in this book. She's regarded as a sort of leader even before this day. She makes the decision to not tell the principal that the substitute didn't show up. She has the bravery to get up in front of the class and say "So I started thinking: Why tell anybody? I figured: Let's run the class ourselves." She decides to shoulder the burden of leading a group of people, and is prepared to take responsibility for her actions. I think these are pretty admirable qualities for a sixth grader.
     Of course, every rebellion has it's consequences, but not all of them are bad. Although the class in Flying Solo is punished for their actions, when they come to school the day after, many of them are smiling. As they reflect in their final writing pieces, it's obvious that they are proud of their actions. One character, Missy, says "We saw the chance for more freedom. We took that chance." They weren't after fame or fortune, but simply the experience. This depicts how kids can feel like teachers have too much power over them, and that at times they may feel that a "rebellion" is necessary to make their voices heard. The unresolved conflict of Tommy Feather's death does calm down a bit at the end. The character's make amends, in particular one character Rachel, who blamed herself for Tommy's death and stopped speaking because of it. After an intense day of forcing herself to think about Tommy, Rachel finds her voice. At the very end of the book in her final writing piece,  Rachel writes "I can live with what I did. I'm not a terrible person." This was an essential moment for Rachel as a character, and as Karen said in her writing piece, these students would've never had the opportunity to reflect if they hadn't rebelled. Finally, the rebellion leader Karen is forced to take responsibility for her actions. In her final writing piece, she writes "I take full responsibility for what happened." This is definitely an essential moment for her as a character. As a leader, you have to prepared for the fact that not all things you lead will turn out well. However, you have to be prepared to face the consequences and take responsibility.
     In conclusion, the book Flying Solo explores the idea of a small-scale rebellion. It really teaches us about commitment and responsibility. I haven't rebelled in such a big way as Mr. Fab's sixth grade class, but I know I have disobeyed teachers and done things I wasn't supposed to do. Sometimes they were good choices, sometimes they were bad, and sometimes they were a bit of both, but no matter what the conditions, I had to be ready to accept the consequences. Life is all about making choices, and as I learned from Flying Solo, one little choice can make a big difference, like one ripple in a pond.