Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Road-Trippin: Inspiration

I'm playing along with YA Highway's Road Trip again this week, this time to answer the following question:

Who in your life has most inspired your writing?

My inspiration to write was born at the Bayliss Public Library in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, where my mom would take me nearly every week to check out books, so of course I owe a lot to my mom. When I think about how I started writing though, I think of the following people:

  • Mrs. Malmberg in 1st grade for entering me in the Young Authors contest (blue ribbon, baby!)
  • Mrs. Lenhart in 2nd grade for choosing to send me to the weekend writing extracurricular at Washington School
  • Mrs. Cymbalist in 3rd grade for telling me I was a smart girl and a good writer
  • Ms. Burt in 4th grade for a one-week "choose your own adventure" writing project that I loved
  • Mr. Anderson in 5th grade for indulging my strange and fleeting need to write opera librettos
  • Mrs. Possamai in 6th grade for making us keep journals and encouraging me to keep writing
  • Mr. Michaud and Mrs. Michaud in 7th and 8th grade, because they were awesome and encouraging
  • Mrs. Faunt in 9th grade, for praising my writing enough to make my little head spin
  • Mrs. Alexander in 10th grade, for putting creative twists on all our assignments, and letting me write poetry to my heart's content
  • Mr. Bethke in 11th grade, we didn't do so much creative stuff with him but he still made me feel smart
  • and last, but not at all least, Mrs. Shavlik in 12th grade, for pushing me harder than anyone else and helping me improve my writing and analytical skills by tenfold, I wish I could have thanked you personally after I got my AP test scores.
Teachers, you are awesome. Your guidance makes a huge difference and a lasting impression, and when you tell a kid she is good at something, she will never forget it. 


13 comments:

  1. Choose Your Own Adventure? Oh, teaching win!

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  2. What a great testament to the way teachers play a role in our lives. Great list!

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  3. Teachers are the best. :) I never would've gotten as far as I have without the encouragement of my teachers. :)

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  4. That was a great post. You've been lucky to have such teachers who encouraged you, and rewarded your writing endeavours.

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  5. That's so cool how much your teachers encouraged you. I love it when teachers care so much for their students.

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  6. Teachers! I'm so glad everyone else is pulling out the other examples I couldn't fit in: friends, teachers, random strangers in public. This is fantastic. And Young Author's! So glad to see that pop up in other people's histories. Congratulations, little-past-you!

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  7. Whoa, that's so cool that you remember so many of your teachers! As an educator myself, I have to say--teachers rawk!

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  8. Mrs. Fairman was mine. She used to read while wearing a rubber crocodile nose! I think that was 3rd grade.

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  9. Preach it sister! Teachers - especially these days of education reform mudslinging - never get enough credit! Teachers FTW!

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  10. You have certainly had some wonderful teachers. I had a few great but mostly not-so-great variety. But as a trained teacher your post gives me hope (almost.... inspires me) I can make a difference.

    =)

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  11. Blue Ribbon in the 1st grade Young Authors Contest. Wow! Seems like you were born to write.

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  12. What a wonderful tribute to all the fantastic teachers in your life. You were clearly born to write!

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