Write On

“I hate writing!” wailed Anthony, as the substitute teacher entered the room. “It stinks, and I refuse to like it! Can’t we do math instead?”

“Sorry,” she said with a grin. “Your teacher says to work on writing, so writing it is.”

The sub pulled a magnifying glass, a small notebook, and a trench coat out of her bag. We started to watch her intently. This didn’t look like a normal lesson. What did this strange new sub with short, spiky hair have up her sleeve?

“How many of you have ever wanted to be a detective?” she asked. Everybody, even Anthony raised his hand.

“Well, being a good writer is just like being a good detective. You have to start with the right equipment. Cindy, what equipment would a good detective need to solve a mystery?”

“I think he would need to have a magnifying glass, a notebook, and a pen.”

“That is a very good start! Tell me more . . . .”

As the class period moved along, we all became absorbed in the lesson. She reviewed things that were really important for successful writers. She talked about topic sentences, transition words, main ideas, details, and conclusions. At the same time, she kept going back to the detective equipment. It kept our attention, and before long we were coming up with great ideas and strong sentences. It was amazing! We were all feeling confident.

Bzzzz. The bell rang, signaling the end of the day. We were all caught by surprise. Where had the time gone? What spell had she cast over us so that we wanted to learn about writing? What if she was right, that writing was like being a detective? Could we really be successful writers, and like it too?

At that moment, Anthony interrupted my thoughts. “Hey, Miss A., do you think you could ask our teacher if you could come back another day? I think I might like to learn more about this writing stuff!” I smirked to myself. If she had Anthony on her side, anything was possible.