Squiggles and Loops

I've enjoyed writing for a long time, but my earliest memory of writing is from first grade. I had a cool teacher with frizzy red hair named Ms. Lindley. From her reading James and the Giant Peach to the class, I first became excited about reading. However, my most vivid memory of her class is from a day we were supposed to write in journals. Writing was boring, I thought. We did it all the time. So this time I decided to pretend I was writing in another language. With random squiggles and loops, I began to fill up the page with my invented writing while imagining the meaning of these bizarre words. Then Ms. Lindley walked by and peered over my shoulder.

“What are you writing, Josh?”

“I'm writing in another language, Ms. Lindley.”

“Oh? And what does it say?”

I recounted some trivial events from the day before to her.

“Well, okay then.” And she walked on.

(Maybe if I had saved this journal I could have turned out like this guy)

Another teacher might have reprimanded me and forced me to conform to what seemed boring, ordinary writing. Consequentially, this might have instilled in me a dislike for writing. By giving me an opportunity to express myself in my own way, Ms. Lindley allowed me to think of writing as a creative act with multiple approaches. In teaching, I strive to keep in mind that there are unorthodox approaches to assignments, writing and otherwise, and considering these on their own merits may give me a chance to better encourage learning.