I have been at this school for just a year now, but I feel that I am reaching my dreams already. My Language Arts teacher, Ms. Vincent, helped me realize how writing is truly a gift. It is something that not everyone can do. I am eternally grateful for this.

She made us write in our journals three times a week. Secretly I loved this, though I would talk during class every time it was assigned. I loved helping other people figure out ideas for their one-page entry. I also loved the other people surrounding me, inspiring me. This assignment is where my pages of wisdom lie.

Then midterms came. We were assigned a poetry anthology consisting of twenty different types of poems and a five-page short story. This was the opportunity I had been waiting for. Ms. Vincent was making my wish upon a star become true before my very eyes. I wrote some of the best poems in my life. I later submitted some that have been published. My short story was not so short. It made me realize that I could be a truly fantastic and intricate writer. I never knew assignments had such importance, until that day. She is the teacher who taught me why I should try, despite results.

Then around May finals came. Everyone was groaning and moaning about the research paper, which seemed so difficult, but it touched me in a way I never imagined. I found that writing nonfictional papers was just a matter of gathering and organizing facts. It taught me that it was important to be able to report the truth, not just create stories. It showed me that facts lie underneath the truth.

Ms. Vincent is the master of these assignments. Because of these assignments, she showed me how to begin my career as a writer. I will not and cannot ever forget how she has made such an impact on my life as a writer and even as a person. If she believes in that famous line, “If I could help just one person it would be worth it all”, then I want her to know it has been worth every second.