Taking tile place of teaching for an eighth-grade class, I noticed that many of the students were asking for permission to leave the room. So I announced that, since it was Flag Day, anyone who wished to leave had to first write a short essay on "Why I am proud to be an American." The departure stepped.
Then one youngster handed me a paper with a picture of the flag. Her statement read:
"I am proud to be an American because I am allowed to have certain individual(个人的) fights. These include freedom of religion--which gives me the right to worship(崇拜) as I please; freedom of speech--which gives me the right to speak freely; freedom from cruel and unusual punishment--which gives me the right to leave the room."
We exchanged smiles as I handed her the pass.
Why did the teacher ask them to write a short essay？

A. She wanted to know who was the best student in the class.
B. She wanted to improve their writing ability.
C. She wanted to keep them in the classroom.
D. She wanted them to be proud of the country.