Things didn't click. We knew the math would be a challenge, but what we weren't prepared for was the impact on her reading and language arts. You see, my daughter is a writer. She fills pages with words and refuses to stop until she's satisfied. She writes of her own accord: poems, stories, newscasts. And this highly structured program proved to be a negative factor in relation to her giftedness with words.
So, being the activist that I am, I withdrew my daughter, who loves Emily Dickinson and e.e. cummings, and decided to home school her. I set myself up as her mentor, basically because she needs one.
That's how I became a writer. My mother was my first mentor. She slammed books in my hands before I could walk. She demanded that I excel. My mother, however, is a whole other story. Several different people, mostly teachers, cared enough to nurture my desire to write. In today's public school arena, teachers simply don't have the time or resources to give much individual attention to a child. Gifted and talented programs in our state benefit children who can process material and spit out the right answers. There isn't much of a niche for the children who are truly gifted in music, writing, art, science, or anything else for that matter.
In high school, I had a teacher named Mrs. Williamson. This small, trim woman could silence a class with one glance that whispered, "I am not pleased with you." Her command of our language was exceptional. You took her class, you came out either literate or dead.
Mrs. Williamson knew I liked to write, and she granted me her personal time. She reviewed my stories and essays line by line, on her personal time in her own home. She never told me what to write. She just asked a lot of questions. All my friends were amazed that I chose to spend time with a woman who scared them.
In college, I studied under two master poets. James Dickey made a bright mark on the world of letters, but it was another professor of mine who was Dickey's equal as a scholar willing to give me large amounts of time with no strings attached. Dr. Ennis Rees - poet, translator, and children's writer - sat with me many afternoons in his office at the University of South Carolina . He'd go over my poetry line by line, word by word, like someone checking stitches on a fine piece of sewing. He introduced me to the work of Philip Larkin, an act for which I will forever be grateful.
 |
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Kay Day's Poetry topic, please visit the Discussions page.