Vast by Clarreese

Vast by Clarreese - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

Her room was vast, but it didn’t feel that way with all the poems she hung, the Glee posters she sticky-tacked, and her loud voice. As she enjoyed Leon Bridges, cats, and sarcasm she also did this thing called teaching. Occasionally Ms. Rose taught me some things in her Creative Writing class: lead up to the action, no one sees your draft except me, and education before boys. However, the most important lesson I learned from her was writing itself. From voice to opinion, I thank her for showing me what writing truly can be.
Any draft I have ever written was all over the place. I drew, I wrote quotes, or I’d just lay on it. Hence, I never typed up what I had written. However, Ms. Rose never minded. She thought that it was entertaining that I never took heed to what I was writing in my drafts. Well, I don’t think it’d be appropriate to type up all the words I found that rhyme with November anyway. Which leads me to one of her principal lessons: sometimes my words aren’t meant to lead up to anything and sometimes my story line will crumble. Phrases will stop short or break; concepts may embolden themselves. However, Ms. Rose taught me that the first draft is just that and my words will always form in time.
Another notion I learned from my teacher was the process of editing and correcting my words. Overtime, red pens have become my friend. The constructive criticism it brings helps me refine my work for the future. However, the quality of my writing doesn’t lie in just placing my commas correctly or finding stronger verbs; it also lies in understanding myself, my audience, and the goal of what is being written. Sometimes I could never quite comprehend that initial point of view. In high school, a lot of people are trying to fix you or elevate you. Ms. Rose was the kind of teacher that sought out her students for who they originally were. In her mind, our individualism and its creativity was our greatest asset. It’s seen in our opinions and what we proclaim most loudly in our lives. Whether it’s cats or irony, Ms. Rose embellished the idea of being whole and now that I have graduated high school, it’s a concept that’s stayed with me. In the vast space that is her classroom and among the quotes and bricks of the wall, I was taught a peace of mind that some people still yearn for. Thank you.