Volume Four in the Books That Matter Series
Who doesn't remember sixth grade and all the trials and tribulations that came
with it? For Ally Nickerson, sixth grade is intolerable because of her
inability to read, but everything might change when Mr. Daniels becomes her new
teacher.
Just like Ally, math was my strong area and I struggled with
reading and spelling. I remember being in elementary school, sitting in a
circle, where each student had to read one line in whatever story we were reading. I used to
dread having to sit there, waiting for my turn. I would count the sentences to
figure out which one I would be asked to read. I would practice it over and over in my head
so I would be ready. I had no idea what the other students were reading to the
class because I was focused on getting all the words right in my own sentence. And
it would never fail, as the student next to me read the sentence I practiced, I would
realize I counted wrong. My
stomach would lurch and then it would be my turn and I would have to read in
front of the class. And always, there was at least one challenging word in the
new sentence, the one I hadn't practiced.
It didn't help that I was in the lowest reading group. They
never told you that in school, but just as Jeff Kinney stated in a Diary of A Wimpy Kid, you could always
figure it out based on the cover of your book. The title of my reading
book was Bears. The other group had Balloons. Their cover showed hot air
balloons floating high in the sky. I suppose you can guess what my cover had on
it. Let's just say that bears hibernate in the winter. It didn't take a genius to
figure out which group had the higher expectations and which one didn't.
Fortunately for me, however, my learning disability was
caught in second grade by an observant teacher. Then in third grade, I had a teacher who saw past what I
couldn't do and saw what I had the potential to achieve. She encouraged my love
for writing. She was the first person to teach me about first drafts and not to
worry about the spelling, which allowed me to use vocabulary that was much
higher than my grade level because I didn't have to worry if the words were
correct. She was the one who showed me how to make revisions to my story and
correct the spelling at that point. She was also the one who promised to help
me turn my work into a real book. Like Mr. Daniels (the new teacher who Ally
encounters in Fish in A Tree), my
teacher believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. And just like the scene
in the book when Mr. Daniels is out of school one day, my teacher was out on the day I was
supposed to read my story in front of the class for a critique. And after all
these years, I could still relate to the way Ally felt that day when the substitute
did things differently than the way Mr. Daniels would have done it.
My third grade teacher helped me discover that my writing
could be more than just a hobby. I could turn my work into real books. With her
help, the guidance of my other teachers who saw my potential along the way, and
of course the support of my family, I decided to go into
the field of education and inspire others the way my teachers did. I understood
what it was like to struggle in school. I know what it is like to want to
prove yourself, and not just to others. In fourth grade, a friend learned that I
only had to complete half of the homework assignments. What she didn't know was
that the shortened assignments would take me double or triple the time to
complete. I remember how my friend questioned it and how it made me think twice
about it as well. So I started completing the full assignments because I wanted
to prove to myself (and no one else) that I could do everything everyone else could do.
I was surprised that after so many years that Fish in A Tree could take me back to my
own struggles and triumphs from those early years of schooling. Ally
Nickerson's character was accurate to my own feelings in school and Mr. Daniels
was true to the teachers who inspired me.
Over the years, I struggled with questions about my own
writing. I wondered if my stories were good enough, if I had something worth
saying, if I was capable of even writing something people would want to read. I
know these concerns are normal for writers but I also know these questions are
something more for me. They come from that young student who used to practice sentences
before having to read in front of the class. So when rejections come in, they
hurt, as all rejections do, but they also take me back to the place that maybe I
am just not good enough.
But I continue to write, revise, and submit.
Because I am a writer, and just as my teacher said all those years ago, someday my stories will be turned into a real book.
If you know a student
who is struggling in school, Fish in A
Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt is the book for them. It is not just for
students either. Teachers and parents would benefit from reading this book as well. Thank you
Lynda Mullaly Hunt for another moving book with a powerful message.
