My First Memories with Writing Were Very Positive Because I Loved Practicing My Name And

Dear class,

My first memories with writing were very positive because I loved practicing my name and I enjoyed having teachers tell me that I had nice handwriting. In elementary school, we actually received a grade for our handwriting (P,F,G,VG,E). I worked hard on making my papers look nice and neat and I typically would receive an “E” grade. There was one report card where I fell short for some reason and received a “VG” grade and I distinctly remember being very angry at that teacher.

My first big piece of writing was in the form of a Diary with a lock and key. I wrote in my diary every day without fail for two and half years. I am not sure why I stopped writing in it because it just abruptly ends in the middle of the year. My mother sent my diaries to me in a box with other items that she found in the attic when I was an adult with two young daughters. My first diary was written in the 7th grade and at the time we were reading the Holocaust Memoir, Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl, so I had titled my diary, Kathy Watt: Diary of a Young Girl. I still believe that it was my best piece of writing ever written and perfectly captured who I was at that point in my life.

I grew up in a tiny town, Orono, Maine. Our school system wasn’t of the highest quality and in high school I do not have many memories of writing essays. As a result, I was a very reluctant writer and I still feel self-conscious about my writing. My father wanted to make sure that I had a good education and sent me away between my Junior and Senior year of High School to a summer boarding school.

The six week program at Phillips Andover Academy was a difficult time for me. I had never been away from home for such a long period of time and I was put in a Literature class that had high expectations for reading and writing. I did not do well in the class initially and had to work one-on-one with the teacher to come up to par with the other students. Once I learned the components of writing, I was able to approach an assignment without complete fear and dread!

Now I enjoy writing along with my students in Language Arts. Each year, I start a new composition book and love to my write stories – sad, funny, and embarrassing. I have written quite a few rough drafts of stories at this point and sometimes entertain the idea of taking some of the pieces to a final publishable draft. I really look forward to trying all of the creative writing assignments along with you this trimester!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Skalak