Very little is known of Emily Elizabeth Dickinson as the American poet always kept to herself and lived a life of solitude(隐居). She was born on 10th December 1830 at Amherst, Massachusetts to Edward and Emily Norcross Dickinson. She had an older brother, Austin, and younger sister named Lavinia.

From 1834 to 1847, Emily Dickinson studied at the Amherst Academy, an academic institution that was co-founded by her grandfather, Samuel Fowler Dickinson. In 1847, she studied at the Hadley Female Seminary (now known as Mount Holyoke College) but returned to Amherst only after a year, and began her own unique life. After returning from the Seminary, Emily withdrew from all social contact and refused to entertain guests. She chose to dress herself only in white and spent most of her time inside her room. She started writing poems at around this time. Her initial forays(最初的尝试) were conventional(有争议的) but later on, she experimented until she developed her own unique style.

The 1860s contributed greatly to Emily Dickinson’s writing style and content. The US Civil War broke out in 1861; her closest friends Samuel Bowles moved to Europe for health reasons, and Charles Wadsworth was relocated to San Francisco. In addition, she also had a persistent eye trouble. Although these years were very troublesome for Dickinson, this could also be considered as the most productive period of her life. During this time, Emily Dickinson wrote around 800 poems.

Emily Dickinson never married and died on May 15, 1886. Her poems were published by her sister, Lavinia in 1886. During her life, only seven poems were published, but Emily Dickinson has penned almost 2,000 poems.

When asking for money, teens usually spend money in eating and having fun. But Garland Benson, a 14-year-old in Austin, Texas, asks for money to help his sister, Christiane.

Garland is trying to raise $l million to help cover the cost of starting a clinical trial (临床试验) to develop a treatment for Batten discase that can cause blindness. Christiane was found having Batten disease at age 5, and she was 15 in 2018.

“It’s $1 million that I’m going to raise by myself,” Garland told KXAN. “My first goal was to get 100,000 people to give $10 each, and I can do that by spreading it on social media, getting people to donate $10 until 10 people and then keep going like that and finally I’ll get there.”

Garland’s $1 million plan, called “Be a Hero!”, started in February, 2017. He has nearly reached his goal and he has raised $869,525. He has used school projects and even at school-based group of brothers called “Brothers for Batten” who do things like garage sales to raise the money.

Christiane hasn’t allowed Batten disease to keep her from experiencing life. She still goes skiing with her family, rides horses and is a part of her school’s cheerleading squad (啦啦队).

Garland and Christiane’s parents, Charlotte and Craig, started the Beyond Batten Disease Foundation in 2008 in the hope of funding a clinical trial for treatments that may slow the progress of Batten disease. Mom Charlotte is proud of both her kids for doing what they can to help each other and others with Batten disease.

My family and I never talked about school as the ticket to a future. I was in the classroom, but I wasn’t there to learn to write, read or even speak. When it was my turn to read, I wanted to hide. I was 13 years old, but I already hated being who I was.

I had an English teacher, Mr. Creech, who knew I couldn’t read. In one of my first lessons the teacher said that anyone who had a reading age below six had to stand up. I felt so embarrassed. But at the same time, it made me realize that I needed to change the situation. I was determined it wouldn’t happen again. Later that day, Mr. Creech encouraged me and promised he would try his best to help me learn to read. From then on, I never gave up practicing reading.

Then when I was 41 years old, one day, I planned to fly back to Texas to visit my friends and family. On my way from the airport, I saw Mr. Creech buying himself a drink. I rushed over and reached into my pocket to pay for him. “Do I know you?” he asked. “Yes, sir, you do know me,” I answered excitedly. “My name is Anthony Hamilton. You taught me English.” The look on his face told me that he remembered the boy he’d once encouraged.

“I’m so glad I had a chance to see you,” I said. “And Mr. Creech, I have great news to share.” I told him I had learned to read. But that wasn’t all. I had become a published author and an active speaker. “The next time you get another Anthony Hamilton in your classroom, please encourage him to read as well,” I added.

The experts say what once worried me has a name: dyslexia (诵读困难). But I can tell you it was a lack of desire for education.