There is no teacher I recall like Mrs. Hill- also known as the Grinch of all the sixth grade teachers at Hunsberger Elementary School. All the students who had her, and even the ones who didn’t, knew how she was. I had her for fifth grade as well, so I had already experienced her wrath. Despite this, I was blindsided by an even harsher sixth grade year. Every day she had a rigorous plan for the class, and nobody dared to disobey it. However, as much as she enjoyed occasionally terrorizing the class, she truly forced everyone to grow as writers under her tutelage. Many lessons I learned in that class still stick with me today, but one will always prevail as the most important: writing is nothing without evidence. She firmly believed that any piece of writing was complete nonsense without sufficient proof that the claim made a fair argument.
This changed the way I wrote instantly and permanently. Any time I make a statement in an essay, I pressure myself to provide at least two or three reasons why I believe my claim to be true. Without facts to back up the assertion, the claim is just an ignorant and uninformed opinion. She also taught me as part of this that “No one cares what I think.” If I’m being honest I was always offended by that, but I understand much better now what she meant. Arguing a point isn’t about an opinion of what’s right; it’s about what truth the facts point to. If enough evidence is used, the truth almost reveals itself. This pushed me to immerse myself in every fact I could get my hands on before I even form an opinion. It became such an easy change to my writing style, especially with how much we practiced it.
Each week, Mrs. Hill assigned a reading section and what she called “free response papers.” In the response papers, we were required to create claims about controversial parts of the chapters. We received no credit if we didn’t provide evidence, even if the assignment was fully completed. Considering our age, the punishment was hardcore, but it made everyone in the class accountable for their best possible writing. There was no excuse in her class for not backing up an argument. With every free response paper, every student improved their ability to argue a point. At the time I really didn’t enjoy being taught by her, but now I feel incredibly lucky that I was. I’ve come to realize that I can’t even remember how I wrote before she taught me. The ideas are so heavily implemented in my mind that they’re all I can think about when I write. The methods she preached still solidify my writing six years later. I would even say that as well as changing my writing style, Mrs. Hill made my young self much more optimistic. Who knew the evil Grinch of Hunsberger Elementary would prove to be the best writing teacher I’ve ever learned from?
Hannah's Writing Blog 