Eddie Cox
Age 11
Shaw School
Essay on bicycle safety

I have been coming to the Neighborhood Bike Works for a week. I have been checking over bikes, looking at them, taking them apart and putting them together. We check to see if the wheels are straight, we check to see if the handlebars are straight. If they are not we straighten them with a wrench and pliers. I worked with Mr. Dyson and Mustafa. Mustafa knows a lot about bikes. I also work with Jessica, Fatimah, Shaudai and Malcolm X. We are all learning about bikes. I am a beginner. The others have graduated.

I am learning about safety here. I have had many bike accidents but none that a doctor had to treat or an ambulance had to be called. Sometimes rocks, stones and glass on the street have make me fall. Once a rock gave me a flat and I fell. I learned how to fix a flat here and to put air in the tires which is important because there are a lot of rocks and glass in the street. In Clark Park I fall riding up the hill.

Yesterday I was riding my sister's bike and another lump on the ground knocked me over. The bike was crooked and I was able to fix it because I learned how to do that here. I am going to do my best here and not get into any trouble. I don't want to get kicked out or have my mom or dad called. I would like to graduate and to earn a new bike.