Middle school was an wonderful experience for me, and I feel that I truly developed as a writer during my time at Riley Middle School in Livonia, Michigan. I was tracked into advanced English classes. Once I entered advanced English classes, I finally felt at home at school because I realized that there were other students like me that loved reading and writing at a deep level.
My first middle school English teacher, Mrs. Martzolf, did all that she could to make sure her students learned to love writing by the end of her class. She seemed to have a treasure chest of fun and interesting writing prompts that never emptied out. I actually kept track of my journal from her class for several years, but have recently misplaced it. One of the greatest joys in my middle school years was being able to share my writing and listen to the compositions my classmates had come up with. Mrs. Martzolf created a warm environment in her classes that led to the development of friendships that continue to light up my life to this day.
Mrs. Martzolf once told the class that she loved reading so much and read so often that she would pick up a book to read, and realize by about twenty pages in that she had already read the book. I couldn't even picture having the same experience when she told us, but as an adult, I have found myself picking up a new book to read and realizing that I have already read it.
In eighth grade, my experience was vastly different. I had another teacher (who will remain anonymous) that wasn't able to connect with our class. Her class was quite cold, and she didn't try to get to know us like Mrs. Martzolf had the year before. I do not believe that I grew as a writer during the year I spent in her classroom, although I did experiment with poetry more than I had done in the past.
During middle school, I enjoyed writing for fun. I would write notes to my best friends that we would pass back and forth throughout the school day. Writing notes to friends during the school day opened my eyes to the added enjoyment that writing can bring to a friendship.
Overall, seventh grade was my favorite year in my English class history. Even though eighth grade paled in comparison, Riley Middle School (and Mrs. Martzolf in particular) prepared me well for high school writing.
My first middle school English teacher, Mrs. Martzolf, did all that she could to make sure her students learned to love writing by the end of her class. She seemed to have a treasure chest of fun and interesting writing prompts that never emptied out. I actually kept track of my journal from her class for several years, but have recently misplaced it. One of the greatest joys in my middle school years was being able to share my writing and listen to the compositions my classmates had come up with. Mrs. Martzolf created a warm environment in her classes that led to the development of friendships that continue to light up my life to this day.
Mrs. Martzolf once told the class that she loved reading so much and read so often that she would pick up a book to read, and realize by about twenty pages in that she had already read the book. I couldn't even picture having the same experience when she told us, but as an adult, I have found myself picking up a new book to read and realizing that I have already read it.
In eighth grade, my experience was vastly different. I had another teacher (who will remain anonymous) that wasn't able to connect with our class. Her class was quite cold, and she didn't try to get to know us like Mrs. Martzolf had the year before. I do not believe that I grew as a writer during the year I spent in her classroom, although I did experiment with poetry more than I had done in the past.
During middle school, I enjoyed writing for fun. I would write notes to my best friends that we would pass back and forth throughout the school day. Writing notes to friends during the school day opened my eyes to the added enjoyment that writing can bring to a friendship.
Overall, seventh grade was my favorite year in my English class history. Even though eighth grade paled in comparison, Riley Middle School (and Mrs. Martzolf in particular) prepared me well for high school writing.