10/10

Not talking about the Olympics.

My mom was recently going through some of my brothers' and my "junk" at home, and she came across an old writing assignment of mine from Mrs. Paradis' English class in 11th grade. The assignment was to write a short paragraph that conveyed a mood.

Here's what I wrote:

The melancholy tapping of the colorless rain against the windowpanes made the rest of the mansion sigh with mournful recollection of the earlier years that brought with them such life and vibrance. Those things seemed to be only vast memories, swallowed up by the looming tapestries in the hall and the worn rug in the foyer. Time had greedily taken its toll and the swaying pendulum of the grandfather clock added with each movement another second, minute, and hour to remember. The dusty books on the shelf had been audience to many children's laughter but now hear only the echoes of the clouds' tearful goodbyes to their soulmates who had once danced in their puddles and sang songs under their mist. Inevitably, the last generation was gone, and with them many treasured secrets found their long-awaited resting places.

My paragraph got a 10/10 and a "Wow!" Funny how reading that immediately brought me back to the classroom on the second floor of my old high school that is now just a patch of grass next to Cottonwood Lake. I can practically smell the air and feel the heat coming off the radiators.

It has almost become cliché for adults to thank our primary and secondary teachers for the role they played in helping mold who we are today. "When Mrs. Jones taught me how to fold a paper airplane in first grade, that's when I knew I would one day become a pilot." 

But really, who's to say there wasn't some truth in that? A seed of curiosity could have been planted in that first grade classroom, which would one day germinate, grow and bloom. 

I had a lot of great teachers growing up, and Mrs. Anne Paradis was one of them. There was no "easy A" in her classes. But working hard translated into real learning. Thinking back, I am sure her classes were the foundation for my writing aptitude today. I now earn my living by writing compellingly. 

Mrs. Paradis also directed all-school plays. The spark that was ignited during my role as Donna Lucia d'Alvadorez in Charley's Aunt was reignited eleven years later when I got my first professional acting gig for Barksdale Theatre as Denise in Smoke
on the Mountain.

So, thank you, Mrs. Paradis. Cliché or not, you played no small role in the life and livlihood of this grateful student. 

I give YOU a 10/10!