The Writer

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]riting. I was never very good at it.

I was too slow.

In third grade, Miss Williams told us to write an essay. The topic could be whatever we wanted. I wrote an articulate piece regarding Batman’s struggle with mediocrity. It took me half the night. Miss Williams didn’t find my argument convincing. 

She gave me a D.

Fourth grade. Mrs. Everhardt assigned an essay about our favorite foods. I wrote a stunning soliloquy on the rise and fall of the modern biscuit. It was subtitled: Pilsbury Killed the American Housewife. It took a week to write. I got another D. She suggested I write with fewer commas.

But, that, was, so, hard, to, do.

Fifth grade. Mrs. Bruner despised me from the get go. She told us to write about pioneers in America. She was not impressed with my paper, Ernie Banks; Pioneer Short Stop Who Changed the World. I received an F. She told me I was fool-headed for writing about baseball.

Fool-headed.

I’ll never forget that word.

Then came sixth grade, that was my year. Mrs. Doerkson believed in me. She knew how to reach a slow student like me. I was the only student she assigned one hundred word compositions to. Every day. Weekends too. Whatever I wanted to write about. Even baseball. Then she’d correct my grammar and pin my stories to her wall. It wasn’t schoolwork, it was her gift to me.

That sweet woman told me I was special.

And I half believed her.

2 comments

  1. Sophia - May 13, 2016 12:03 am

    Great The Writer – Sean of the South post, in a similar regard please read this article I came across today seandietrich.com or Sophia . Thank you for sharing. [america writing]

    Reply
  2. Ann Knopf - August 2, 2017 10:05 pm

    Good Evening,

    I am a first grade reading teacher at Flowers Elementary. I am looking for guest authors to come and read to our students. Our administrative assistant overheard. She is coming to see you August 25 and told me to reach out to you. If you are interested in coming to read or talk to any grade in our building, we would love to have you.

    Thank you for your time.
    Ann Knopf

    Reply

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