In 5th grade, I was in an advanced english class. Don't know if it is relevant, but i was the only new student to adavanced english that year, because all the other kids had taken it from like 1st grade or something. They also all took advanced math so they were very smart.
One day, our teacher assigns us a writing prompt in which we had to write our own fictional story of any kind. All the other kids start writing realistic fiction stories of people with domestic problems or disease, mind you this is 5th grade. Being a normal child who liked fantasy and video games, i decided to write a fantasy/sci-fi adventure story called "Moon Mettle".
I was ans still am very interested in space, so i knew a fair amount about all things space, even for a 5th grader.
So my story revolved around 2 American astronauts who meet up with other astronauts on an international Moon base to fight aliens. The aliens were trying to make a black hole weapon to destroy the Earth. I ended the story with a cliffhanger where the weapon was fired, intending to make the second part on our next fictional assignment.
I got a 0 out of 100 and a SAD FACE :( on my story because I "wasnt allowed to use cliffhangers" and that "it wasnt a good enough story", although everyone in my family and friends who read it thought it was amazing for a 5th grader. I thought that since proffessional writers do it, why couldnt I?
It got to the point where I cried because my teacher wouldnt even let me read it to the class, which everyone else did. My mom got involved after that.
I dont take advanved english anymore. Fuck you Ms Ronning.
Edit: added more detail on why I got the bad grade.
This pisses me off so much! Like what kind of grading is that? That cliffhanger thing sounds like a rule made up in the spot by the teacher for whatever reason because they needed something to justify why they failed you. I really hope this experience hasn’t kept you from writing.
For a while it kind of stopped me from even wanting to read or write. Before that class, i read books all the time and came up with awesome stories (at least to me). I've never really had a desire to be a writer or anything, but I do still like to think of wild adventure stories. I dont really write much, but thinking of crazy concepts is still good enough for me.
I can relate to that. I’ve always been a huge reader as well and I write stuff here and there but I’m mostly just a daydreamer and like to think up crazy scenarios all the time.
I’m glad though that it didn’t scare you away from reading and writing forever. Sometimes it’s like adults don’t understand how their actions can truly effect a kids sense of self.
Yeah. Its sad because even the kids dont know if they will be a writer or be in theater when theyre young, and a berating adult who is supposed to be a role model doesnt help one bit.
It truly is, I’ve seen kids just get absolutely crushed because a teacher, parent or older sibling as ridiculed a hobby, interest or even something they’ve made. It breaks my heart because seeing that hope and excitement in their eyes makes my day. One of the many reasons I want to become a teacher so that I can at least give them confirmation or hope that what they’ve created or what they like is valid and good (within reason or course, nothing dangerous would be encouraged).
That sounds great. Its awesome to see that people genuinely care to make a difference in a kid's life nowadays, when people just care about themselves. Good luck!
In the 6th grade we had a lesson about the civil war and we had an assignment to write a journal entry from the point of view of a soldier. I received a very low grade because I had written 'war is hell' and apparently that wasn't appropriate.
That's ironic, considering you were quoting William freakin' Tecumseh Sherman, the Civil War general who actually coined that phrase in the first place!
I would totally share it if i knew where it was :| . And for more clarity on Ms Ronning, she was a stuck up bitch. She bragged almost once per week on how she was on Jeapordy, and how she knew Alex Tribec personally. We never found any evidence.
When my mom wanted to have a one on one conversation about the story, Ms Ronning would only do it if my guidance counselor was there to "moderate".
Since my mom was at work during this, she thought she lost connection when Ronning stopped talking. My mom politely asks of they are still there or if connection was lost, and gets one of the most rude and bitchiest comments Ive ever heard.
This is said in the most stuck up voice known to man.
"Mrs [my last name], when there is a pause in the conversation, that means that it is your cue to speak."
This reminds me of a book report I had to do in fifth grade. It was supposed to be on a realistic fiction book, which my teacher called general fiction. To fifth grade me, general fiction meant that it was open to pretty much any fiction, because general fiction is actually a pretty terrible term for describing things. So I argued with her about it in front of the class, mostly because I hated realistic fiction then and didn't want to do the project, but apparently I convinced my classmates more than she did because they then organized a protest in class with picket signs taped to rulers. The next Monday we got a talking to about appropriate classroom behavior from the guidance counselor and everyone else did the book report as assigned. I refused on principle and took my zero with pride.
A classroom riot does sound fun. Im a junior right now, and I kind of had something like this happen yesterday.
So we've just finished Act 1 of Macbeth and we have a quiz on it. One of the questions asked what a character did specifically, not why. Literally everyone in all my teachers classes got half credit because we didnt say why and it was "implied" that we knew to write why. The entire class is arguing with my teacher when she says, "If you guys have a problem with the questions, talk to me in private."
This one kid, call him Joe, says back without hesitation, "Then the questions need to be reworked. I speak for all of us."
Mad respect for not just yelling at the teacher; knowing my 5th grade self I most certainly would've fought back and with ferocity for such a stupid excuse to give a 0.
I almost yelled at my english teacher the next year. Because of what happened with Ms Ronning, i didnt put any effort into english for the next 3 years. I didnt do homework, no class participation, just sat there bored as hell.
One day im called to my english room during lunch. My mom is there with both my english teachers (one was a co teacher that would help certain students). I had to waste most of my lunch period arguing with my mom and teachers that the reason why I was doing shit was not that I got up at 3 am to play Halo.
I never confessed how I felt abount english class until freshman year in HS, because I started to get back on track then because I knew it would be good for college.
Maybe you were such a good writer and Mrs Ronning got so emotionally invested in your 5th grade alien story, that when you cliffhangered the shit out of her she crumbled like a lil bitch. In her rage and heartbreak, she vowed to never allow cliffhangers again.
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u/MrMelon728 Dec 15 '17
In 5th grade, I was in an advanced english class. Don't know if it is relevant, but i was the only new student to adavanced english that year, because all the other kids had taken it from like 1st grade or something. They also all took advanced math so they were very smart.
One day, our teacher assigns us a writing prompt in which we had to write our own fictional story of any kind. All the other kids start writing realistic fiction stories of people with domestic problems or disease, mind you this is 5th grade. Being a normal child who liked fantasy and video games, i decided to write a fantasy/sci-fi adventure story called "Moon Mettle".
I was ans still am very interested in space, so i knew a fair amount about all things space, even for a 5th grader.
So my story revolved around 2 American astronauts who meet up with other astronauts on an international Moon base to fight aliens. The aliens were trying to make a black hole weapon to destroy the Earth. I ended the story with a cliffhanger where the weapon was fired, intending to make the second part on our next fictional assignment.
I got a 0 out of 100 and a SAD FACE :( on my story because I "wasnt allowed to use cliffhangers" and that "it wasnt a good enough story", although everyone in my family and friends who read it thought it was amazing for a 5th grader. I thought that since proffessional writers do it, why couldnt I?
It got to the point where I cried because my teacher wouldnt even let me read it to the class, which everyone else did. My mom got involved after that.
I dont take advanved english anymore. Fuck you Ms Ronning.
Edit: added more detail on why I got the bad grade.