“I have not looked at any of your previous grades. When you walk into my classroom, you will never be defined as who you once were, this class can be a fresh start.” 

I can still so vividly remember those words being said 8 years ago, as if they were being spoken aloud to me right now. Mr. Johnson, my seventh grade math teacher, said those words on the first day of school. He taught the lowest level of math that a student could take. Previously, I had all Ds in school. My parents have never made me do schoolwork, and I was never punished for not doing it. My parents worked at gas stations, and no one in my family even has a high school diploma. I assumed that was the same path that my own life had to take, until I had him as my teacher. 

For some reason, the words he spoke really struck a chord within me. I thought to myself that I might as well try for a little bit, and see how that goes. When he gave the first assignment to the class, I remember that I was really confused about a question. In class, before we turned it in, he allowed us to ask him things about the homework. I did, as a matter of fact, I was the only one who did. I was then the only student who got a 100% on the worksheet. He announced this to the class, while praising me for being willing to ask when I am confused, which has modeled me into the person I am today, who will always ask questions about assignments if I am confused.

As the year went on, this was a common pattern. I was consistently getting the highest grades, and his praise was always so refreshing. It made me want to keep trying. This is the first time an adult had believed that I could succeed, and I had to prove him right. My grades in my other classes, as a result, went up. Like overnight, I went from a student who nearly failed all their courses and never did an assignment, to someone who was being put on the honor roll, and being used as an example of a model student in all of her classes. 

Once the end of the year came, it was time for the teachers to nominate their students for whatever level of math they would be in next year. I didn’t think much of it, I figured I would stay on this track and be in the integrated math courses again. That is why, when he handed me back my paper that said he was suggesting me for Algebra (the highest level course), I teared up. I remember having to go to the bathroom and breathe. 

The concept of someone believing in my success was so foreign. So, for a teacher to believe that I can handle being in an advanced course, it was completely unreal to me. I received more support in that year than I had ever before in my life. I set a goal that day. I was going to graduate from high school. I was going to be the person in my family to break the cycle of not going to college. I was going to get my very own degree. 

The following year, the principal called me to his office. He told me that he wanted me to to give a speech for Mr. Johnson at the end of the year, because he was retiring. Immediately, I knew I wanted to do this. I had no idea if he even realized how much he, alone, impacted my life. If I am going to be honest, I have no idea what I said in the speech. I can only remember the bright auditorium lights blinding me, as I tried to hold back tears because of how emotional the situation was making me. After the speech, he hugged me. He told me it was one of the nicest things someone has ever said about him, and I am still so confused by that interaction… because I had no idea why he was thanking me. I should have been thanking him for how much he impacted my life. I should thank him for setting me up to live a great life. I should thank him for allowing me to recognize the potential I have. I should be thanking him for believing in me, when no one else in my life did. 

6 years later, I was a freshman in college. I came in as a biology major, and I hated it. I knew that wasn’t what I wanted to do with myself. I wanted to change lives on a personal level, but I didn’t know how. Then, as I was sitting in Garden Commons, eating a salad, it hit me. I wanted to teach. I thought about all the teachers who never believed in me, and how it caused me to struggle so deeply. Then, I remembered Mr. Johnson, the one person who always knew that each student in his class could do great things. I knew, in that moment, that if I could impact just one kids life, and believe in them when no one else would, just like Mr. Johnson did with me, then I succeeded. I would have done the right thing with my life.

That evening, I walked to McGuffey Hall and planned out the next three years of my college curriculum as an English AYA major. In one year, I will get to say that I have done it. I will walk across the stage at Millett Hall, where I will be given my diploma, and become a college graduate, and a teacher who will always believe in her students.

I am from my family,

where we never stayed put.

Normalcy was with my grandma, learning to read and write.

I am from my cats,

Jasper, Curious, Felix, Thomas, Yin, CJ, and many more, since I was young.

Their soft fur feels like home,

it is something that never changed.

I am from music,

music never changed.

Playing the baritone stayed the same from house to house.

I am from art,

Inspired by the experiences I have had.

When I think of home, I only think of them,

my family, my art, and maybe the most important, my cats.

Their paws were my safe haven everywhere.

More than my cats, more than art, and more than just my grandparents, they were home.

If happiness were a being, it would be you

You are so unaware of the bliss you give

And the joy you bring to a room

When you walk in with your four paws.

You are happiness, because you give it.

You are bliss, because you make the room feel like it.

You are a hero, because you save me,

As if saving me, stranded at sea

But you will never know

You are just a cat

But you are also so much more

You are the daybreak through the window in the morning

You are the reason I wake up

You are the fuel in my life.

Age group : High Schoolers, I think it would be good for a creative writing activity, which requires some creative thinking skills

First, the months it took, hours everyday, just to pinpoint a general location of the river… the endless flowing river. Books, countless books, sifting through hundreds of them that must have sat untouched for years in libraries. Often, it was cited as a local folk legend, and nothing more. But, it all made too much sense. The locations all connected too much… and I was able to figure it out. In Peru, deep in a forest, it is there, eternal youth.

The journey took months. Asking for help from the locals just got me laughed at. I realized, quickly, that I am on my own. Sifting through thick bushes, trying to find something that may only exist in my head, it takes a toll on your sanity… 

But, let me tell you… the relief when I found it… it was liberating.

Prompt #2: Write about your heritage. Write what you know about your culture, and the traditions you and your family have.

Tip: If you don’t know much about your ‘heritage,’ write about the transitions you have within your family unit! If you don’t have any, write about the ones you find respectful and interesting. 

Recently, I took a DNA test. I am adopted, so this was very exciting for me, because I do not know much about myself. I am very white, and honestly, I assumed myself to be entirely European. So, much to my surprise, I am actually, like ⅛, Asian! Specifically, Central Asia, a lot of DNA from Pakistan.

I thought this was great! Now, I am not going to make this a huge part of my identity, I feel like I would be… appropriating those… who were raised in Pakistani households and whatnot… but, by chance, I have spent a lot of my life learning about Islam. Actually, my Freshman year, I did a whole project on Islamophobia. For a while, I practiced Islam while I read the Torah, just because I wanted to honor it while I read it. This was all way before I knew I was Pakistinian. 

With this, I will not change how I act. I do not want to appropriate the culture of those raised as such, and I am not personally Islamic. I will, however, continue to study and learn more about my heritage, and continue my lifelong pursuit of combating Islamophobia in America.

Prompt #3: Write a poem about a famous person. They can be a celebrity, historical figure, or someone from a T.V. show, but do not say their name. Try to describe them artistically in other ways. 

Strong and proud he stands, like a tree

Whereas his roots and his home run deep in his reign

Leading each country with an iron fist,

But also extending acceptance more so than anyone else

His patience and virtue flowed through the tip of his blade

He cared not for your identity

But for your values

He defended the defenseless

Because, once, like them, he was under their foot.

Once like them, he had to fight for the oppressors

Once like them, he had no one to defend them.

like a true junior in college,

i thought i knew it all.

i was confident i was prepared to lead a lesson

to teach

i never considered that my mind

was chaining you down

like the weight of the entire world

you were reduced to your age

there was no way you could critically imagine

the world beyond your desk

but i was wrong

in the matter of two sentences, you

braced yourself

raised your arms 

and lifted the world that sat upon you

and broke the chains that i never knew were there

A Recipe for a Successful First Teaching Experience

What you need to prepare: You can’t. You can try and practice what you will say. You can memorize lessons. You can read hundreds of articles, but you will not be completely prepared. Teaching the first time, you will actually be the one learning. 

Ingredients: 

Recipe

This student requested to remain as anonymous as possible. They are freshmen.

“If I were president, the first thing I would do is make transgender healthcare more accessible. For someone like me. So I don’t have to hide anything about myself anymore. I would also make abortion access safer and more accessible. These both are so important, and I think people should get to decide what they do with their own bodies. That is no one else's business.”

This was so beautiful to read. When I presented this freewrite, all I could think was that there is no way these students will form too deep of thoughts. I was actually worried about making this political at all, but this was one of the students who changed me. They came up to me, at the end of the class, and asked to give me their paper. They don’t want anyone to know their name, but they want me to have it. They trust me. 

This is a moment I will carry with me forever. I will never, ever, underestimate another student again. I was so foolish for thinking I was teaching them, because these fourteen year olds were teaching me. Education is a lifelong process. You never, ever, stop learning.

Two weeks ago, they went missing. 

My human has been gone for two weeks, with no reason. They left the food out, so I could figure that out, but that means they knew they were leaving. I know, however, they would never abandon me. I have been in their life since I was a kitten all those years ago. Every day, they would hold me and take care of me. If they were leaving for a day or two, they would have another human check on me.

But never like this.

I ponder these thoughts, trying to form theories, while I tighten the sack around my waist, making sure it doesn’t grind against the ground. In it, I can fit enough food to last a few days, a picture that I (painstakingly) got out of a frame of them, and the small felt fish that they got me when I was adopted. 

Am I scared? I have no memories of the outside world. I don’t know what to expect, but I am about to go out there and find them. 

I don’t have time to think of this, I can’t think of this, I have to go. I jump to the shelf above the door, and jump from it to wrap myself around the handle to twist it open. Just like that, the door creaks open, just enough to fit my paws between the crack and begin my journey home. 

I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this.

I figured there would be humans for me to seek help through.

But there is none.

There are only cats, and they seem to be on the same journey as me.

Over the course of this year, I think the skill I have improved the most in is the use of figurative language. Before this class, I had never really learnt too much about the uses of it, just what it was. Since I didn’t know how to practically apply it to writing, I never did. However, this class showed me otherwise.

Not only do I know where to use it, I also know how to use it in an appropriate way that will change the meaning of a story in the way I dictate. For example, when we did the unit on character development, I was shown examples of how a character’s personality development can change the tone of the story completely if used correctly, but how it could do nothing if used poorly. Knowing when to use figurative language is equally as important as knowing when to not use it. 

When we analyzed certain bits of figurative language in a hip-hop song, also, that helped a lot. The multi-modality allowed me to comprehend the subject in new ways. Also, analyzing how the artist used these devices to influence the meanings behind her song, and enhance the story-telling

Question #2: What is a skill that you didn’t get to develop enough, and how could it be improved?

I wish I would have gotten to work more on writing argumentative essays. We only did one unit on it, and I feel like I didn’t get enough out of it. I think a way this could be improved is by allowing a few more steps in the revision process.

I think that having developed skills for writing argumentative essays is really important because it can translate to several facets of your life. Forming complex arguments requires a strong background in comprehensive criticality.

We have been talking a lot in this classroom about the importance of critical thinking skills, because it is incredibly important to transition into a socially just society. I think if I would have gotten to work on argumentative essays more, then I would have gotten to develop this skill more.

Question #3: How do you think the use of the writers notebooks at the start of each class has improved your reading and writing abilities?

It has helped me for several reasons. For starters, it has made me a lot more comfortable with my writing. Answering a variety of prompts everyday has helped me come up with a bunch of new ways to write and open up.

I also feel a lot more confident about sharing my writing. Being given the opportunity for everyone to share everyday is really nice, and not being forced to have made the classroom a really calm place where I don’t feel worried to share anything. 

It also has just made me a better writer. Since it is never graded, I feel okay to make mistakes and learn from my writing. Making mistakes and things you don’t like is crucial to learning, and the writer’s notebooks really allowed for that to occur.

Question #4: What type of writing projects did you enjoy the most this year? Do you have a favorite genre of writing? Do you have a least favorite?

I really enjoyed the dystopian writing project. I liked it because it was over the course of three weeks, which allowed me to really shape the story in the way that I wanted. The revision process and collaborating with my peers was what really allowed for this kind of growth to occur.

The revision process was actually my favorite part of this. Three rough drafts and working in small groups for this was nice. Small groups allowed for me to receive different kinds of feedback, and I got to combine them all together and make something that was based on all the positive and negative feedback that I received. 

It has also taught me a lot that I can carry with me throughout my entire educational career. I know how to use feedback effectively for improving anything I make. I also now know how to critically self-reflect on anything I make. 

Question #5: How do you think your ability to revise your own works has improved? Do you think collaborative peer-review helps? 

Like I answered before, my ability to revise my own works has greatly improved. Since a majority of the works we did in here had extensive revision steps implemented, it is a skill that was really heightened.

I talked about it before, but the ability to reflect critically on oneself and others and issues is a really important skill for the real world. To have a more socially just future, critical thinking is an absolute necessity. You also need critical thinking to think about what has and hasn’t happened, and to understand social-justice issues. 

Also, because of the revision process, I am confident that my grade is several letters higher than it was made. If I wasn’t given the opportunities to fix what I had made, I would not have been proud AT ALL of what I turned in.