In my first grade class, students were required to write in a journal for one hour each day. Of course, being so young, most of us made up adventure stories instead of writing a diary entry. My teacher noticed this and began “publishing” our books for us. Once a student finished a story she particularly liked, she would take it to the teacher who would type and print it for her. It would be sent off to the “publisher,” aka a group of moms who were apparently very crafty. It was then returned to the student for illustration. Once the drawings were completed, it was read to the class and became available for individual checkout.
This process gave me a special appreciation for writing and reading because it made me think about how much work went into writing a book. I figured that if someone worked so hard to write a story, it must be important for me to read it carefully and deliberately. I still respect the craft of writing despite the fact that I am now much more discerning about literature.
These days I read lots of poetry, music, texts from my mom, essays by Aldous Huxley, “English-y” novels (a term coined by my beloved brother, a math major), non-“English-y” novels, and short stories. I don’t read many plays, so if any of you have recommendations I’d love to hear them! The same goes for other forms of literature. I’m always excited to find something new.
I pledge on my honor that I have neither given nor received help on this work, I have followed and will continue to observe all regulations regarding it, and I am unaware of any violations of the Honor Code by others. – Isabelle Sakelaris