Friday, May 9 was West Virginia Young Writers Day, as Director of the Central WV Writing Project (CWVWP), I was in charge of the WV Young Writers Contest and the celebration day. The Governor had signed a proclamation proclaiming Young Writers Day statewide (I had sent his office the ‘whereas’ section of the proclamation). It was read from the stage of the University of Charleston (WV), a small institution on the bank of the Kanawha River opposite the WV State Capitol, by Madame Secretary of Education and the Arts Kay Goodwin, followed by a few remarks from the Superintendent of Schools for the state of WV, Dr. James B. Phares. After a morning keynote speech and a couple songs by the editor of Goldenseal Magazine and award winning songwriter, John Lilly, who talked about his writing life and the need to write honestly, the students attended workshops with regional authors of children's literature Belinda Anderson, Marie Godby, and Cheryl Ware. The high school seniors had a writing workshop with Lilly, the teachers with writer and publisher Cat Pleska, and the families an activity with Dr. Elizabeth Campbell of Marshall University South Charleston campus, where CWVWP is housed.
After lunch, nearly 200
students from grades 1-12 who were winners in their divisions at the county
level made a grand procession into the theater to the applause of about 450 family members and teachers. The six first place winners, five girls and a third grade boy, came to the stage and sat in chairs behind the lectern. They would read their stories aloud and receive medals and cash awards before all two hundred of the county winner were called to the stage to receive certificates and shake my hand as we smiled for
the cameras.
I looked over the crowd and began speaking, "Isn’t it wonderful to see these young writers receive applause for the
achievement of communicating their ideas in writing. The stereotypical writer
toils in isolation, struggling silently and often fearing rejection from fickle
readers, publishers who are concerned about making money, and demanding
critics, yet writing does not have to be that way. Reading and writing take us outside ourselves to other times and places, take us inside ourselves to ponder life’s meaning; they can help us understand the world and ourselves. I don’t know how these
students were encouraged to write their stories and essays, but in a few
moments you are going to hear a tale of a magical house, a humorous yarn about secret agent squirrels,
a beautifully descriptive and poignant piece about a West Virginian’s sorrowful
goodbye to her mountain home, an experience many West Virginian’s have shared.
You will be taken back in time to one of humanities’ worst periods, during the
2nd World War, and into the tortured mind of a Jewish man, a father,
suffering persecution during the Holocaust. The winner of the 11th -12th
grade division will read her essay that attempts, no succeeds, in explaining
something fundamental about the purpose of life, despite the acknowledgement
that we inevitably grow old and die, if we live long enough.
"Perhaps the most remarkable of all the pieces you will hear today is
one written by a very special young man from Mingo County, Sawyer Hinton.
Sawyer is autistic, and I am breaking no confidence in telling you that, because
Sawyer takes you inside his mind in his writing, a place where he spends much
of his time, and after reading Sawyer’s description of what it is like to live
with autism, I had a new understanding and appreciation of this condition, and
you will too.
"As I said, I don’t know how
these students came to be such fine writers, how all of you who won your school
and county contests were encouraged to become writers. But I hope that it was a
joyful experience, not a lonely one. Great teachers of writing are able to create
a community of writers in their classrooms, communities that will encourage all
students to express themselves honestly and creatively, no matter their skill
level, no matter their intelligence, no matter their abilities or their
struggles, and in that community everyone will feel valued and encouraged and
will be willing to do the hard work of writing, rewriting, revising, and polishing
their work until it shines. And that great teacher will then make sure the work
is read by others and listened to, because the act of writing is an act of
communication, and the great teacher will make sure that every student hears
the applause they deserve, as you heard the applause today. And now, before we
hear from our first place winners, how about if we give a round of applause to
all the teachers and families who encouraged our young writers….Thank you."
The winner of
the grades 1-2 division was cute and did very well reading her fantasy about a magic house. And then Sawyer
Hinton, the third grade statewide winner of the grade 3-4 contest, from Mingo
County, one of the poorest counties in the nation, got up to read his award
winning piece. I announced, “The1st place winner in grades 3-4
division is Sawyer Hinton, 3rd grade. He goes to Lenore PreK-8 in Mingo
County. The title of his essay is “Superhero Without a Cape.” His teacher is
Peggy Hannah. Sawyer approached the microphone and read,
“Did you know that not
all superheroes wear a cape? I have a superpower that makes me very
special. I am completely different from every other 8 year old that I
know. The thing that I call my super power is what most people call Autism.
I know that it is normally seen as a disability. But I look at it in a
different light. I would much rather call it a special ability. Autism allows
me to process everything in the world around me differently than the average
child. My family has helped me cope with my diagnosis. So hopefully after
reading my story, you will discover that there are superheroes all around you.
They just don’t wear capes.
I have been called some
really ugly names for being different. But being peculiar is just who I am.
I want to explain how you could always turn a disability into a superpower by
just looking at things in a different way. Take my obsessiveness of order
routine for example. Most people consider that a disability. I, on
the other hand, just think that I am more organized than everyone else.
Now doesn’t that sound more positive by just changing the words? I prefer to be
alone most of the time. But I really have more time to think, read and
dream. I come around people in my own time and at my own pace. Is that
not how most people get to know one another? I just take a little longer. My
brain is larger than normal. Seems to me that is a positive trait. I have room
to learn more. One of the stigmas placed on people like me is that we are
mentally retarded. That could not be farther from the truth. I am a genius when
it comes to certain things. Putting what I know on the outside is what I
struggle with. However, the ability to retain information by just hearing or
reading it once is definitely a perk. So, has it become more apparent
that I am super special? I cannot bear the thought of certain textures,
smells, tastes and things that have to do with sensory perception. Guess I am
just set in my ways. But isn’t every single person that way? I am a little extreme
but still not disabled.
I have not mentioned all
the quirky things that I do. But what superhero reveals all his secrets?
I just hope that I can make a difference to someone else like me. I urge
you to take the time to look at the things that make you different and embrace
them. Never accept something as a disability, look at it as a special
superpower that makes you unique! Hopefully now you can see the superheroes
living all around you."
The audience erupted in
strong applause, which built and built. People began to stand and the applause
continued. I stood behind the lectern and watched as the whole audience began
to rise to their feet. Tears come to my eyes as I recount this moment, probably
the most powerful moment of my teaching career. This is what it's all about, I
thought. This is what it's all about.
I've been e-mailing the
parents and learned they took video. I hope to have it soon. I warned the father that putting this out on the web might change
their lives, that, it's possible that if the story got big, for awhile he and
his wife might become parents similar to those who travel around with a child
who is a sports star, an actor or beauty contestant, and the father wrote
this, "It was an amazing experience! Thank you all for
acknowledging how difficult it was to share something so personal. Writing and
sharing it was hard but it was also an avenue of escape and release for him. He
said even if he helps one child like him then it was worth it."
My 2-Day Diet Progress Week 27, May 11, 2014
Beginning weight 11/3/13: 209 lbs.
Height 5'8" Age: 62
Goal weight: 165 lbs.
Total loss goal: 44 lbs.
Beginning waist size: 43 in.
Current waist size: 38 in.
Weight end of this week: 179 lbs.
Gain/Loss this week: +1 lbs.
Total Gain/Loss: -30 lbs.
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