Country Bumpkin
My freshman year26 total reviews
Comment from juliaSjames
You have the ability to draw readers into your story and keep them engaged throughout. It's more an art than a skill - an unpretentious voice.
It took true creativity to write a story from the POV of a fox. I'm so glad you had a supportive teacher who saw your potential and encouraged you. That isn't always the case. I still recall my indignation when my high school English teacher in Guyana questioned the provenance of my response to a class assignment. We were asked to rewrite a classical story in our own words. I chose The Ugly Duckling and wrote it from the perspective of a rural area. It must have been very well written because and thought someone had helped me.
Thank you for sharing your memories.
Blessings, Julia
reply by the author on 21-Aug-2024
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You have the ability to draw readers into your story and keep them engaged throughout. It's more an art than a skill - an unpretentious voice.
It took true creativity to write a story from the POV of a fox. I'm so glad you had a supportive teacher who saw your potential and encouraged you. That isn't always the case. I still recall my indignation when my high school English teacher in Guyana questioned the provenance of my response to a class assignment. We were asked to rewrite a classical story in our own words. I chose The Ugly Duckling and wrote it from the perspective of a rural area. It must have been very well written because and thought someone had helped me.
Thank you for sharing your memories.
Blessings, Julia
Comment Written 21-Aug-2024
reply by the author on 21-Aug-2024
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Thank you. It was a shame that your teacher didn't see the creativity in your story. I love to write from an unlikely point of view.
Comment from Douglas Goff
It is interesting the way we looked at things when we were younger. So I have been spending a quiet evening traipsing through your wonderful mind when I saw that this piece needed review number 25.
It was a joy to read.
D
reply by the author on 03-Dec-2023
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It is interesting the way we looked at things when we were younger. So I have been spending a quiet evening traipsing through your wonderful mind when I saw that this piece needed review number 25.
It was a joy to read.
D
Comment Written 02-Dec-2023
reply by the author on 03-Dec-2023
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Thank you again, and thanks for the much-needed review. I'm glad you're enjoying all those stories. I would like to write more, but life keeps getting in the way. Lol
Comment from Karen Cherry Threadgill
I too, found writing to be a balm and an escape. I won awards and had my poetry put in the glass case for all to see. I went from a small-town elementary school to a big-city intermediate school where I knew no one. Mrs. Crenshaw was an awful woman who I had for three periods who seemed to dislike me on site. I survived and outlived her. Small victories count. Karen
reply by the author on 03-Nov-2023
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I too, found writing to be a balm and an escape. I won awards and had my poetry put in the glass case for all to see. I went from a small-town elementary school to a big-city intermediate school where I knew no one. Mrs. Crenshaw was an awful woman who I had for three periods who seemed to dislike me on site. I survived and outlived her. Small victories count. Karen
Comment Written 01-Nov-2023
reply by the author on 03-Nov-2023
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Thanks for reading and commenting. I think a lot of children have had to survive a change of schools. It can be traumatizing. It was for me because I was terribly shy.
Comment from Wendy G
A pity you weren't awarded the prize as yours was the best in the school. A very well written piece describing this experience as well as the problems of adjusting to a new school situation and trying to make new friends.
Best wishes for your entry.
Wendy
reply by the author on 03-Oct-2023
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A pity you weren't awarded the prize as yours was the best in the school. A very well written piece describing this experience as well as the problems of adjusting to a new school situation and trying to make new friends.
Best wishes for your entry.
Wendy
Comment Written 03-Oct-2023
reply by the author on 03-Oct-2023
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Thank you. We understood that only a senior would win the scholarship. I always wished they would have done this again when I became a senior.
Comment from w.j.debi
It is great that you took a chance and wrote such a fun essay, and that the teacher appreciated your creative approach to the assignment. Not all teachers do.
This essay about your high school student days is well done and should do well in the contest.
reply by the author on 03-Oct-2023
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It is great that you took a chance and wrote such a fun essay, and that the teacher appreciated your creative approach to the assignment. Not all teachers do.
This essay about your high school student days is well done and should do well in the contest.
Comment Written 02-Oct-2023
reply by the author on 03-Oct-2023
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Thank you. I wasn't sure the teacher would appreciate my essay, but as it turned out, she did. I wish I had kept the essay, but I didn't.
Comment from poetwatch
Your imagination at a very early age is fantastic, author. :) Using a fox to tell a story... that's thinking out of the box and into the woods. I couldn't write that well in high school, but I always tried. I did have imagination, but my teachers didn't agree. :) Thank you for sharing. I hope you place your essay on FanStory.
reply by the author on 03-Oct-2023
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Your imagination at a very early age is fantastic, author. :) Using a fox to tell a story... that's thinking out of the box and into the woods. I couldn't write that well in high school, but I always tried. I did have imagination, but my teachers didn't agree. :) Thank you for sharing. I hope you place your essay on FanStory.
Comment Written 02-Oct-2023
reply by the author on 03-Oct-2023
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Thank you. My imagination always worked overtime, but my grammar skills needed some work. Thanks for the six stars; I appreciate them. Sadly, I didn't keep a copy of that long-ago essay. I could probably write most of it from memory, and maybe I will one day.
Comment from damommy
You did yourself proud with your essay. I bet everyone wanted to know the smart girl. I was shy, too, in high school and easily intimated. I'm glad those days are behind us.
reply by the author on 03-Oct-2023
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You did yourself proud with your essay. I bet everyone wanted to know the smart girl. I was shy, too, in high school and easily intimated. I'm glad those days are behind us.
Comment Written 02-Oct-2023
reply by the author on 03-Oct-2023
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Thank you. I'm glad those days are gone too. I didn't make a lot of difference in the attitude of the town kids. I was still just a country bumpkin to them.
Comment from Annmuma
I love your entry. It is actually similar in ways to mine. Good story, well-written with good descriptions and settings. BEST IN SCHOOL! Wow. It is nice to think outside the box every so often. I suspect this will do well in the contest. ann
reply by the author on 03-Oct-2023
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I love your entry. It is actually similar in ways to mine. Good story, well-written with good descriptions and settings. BEST IN SCHOOL! Wow. It is nice to think outside the box every so often. I suspect this will do well in the contest. ann
Comment Written 02-Oct-2023
reply by the author on 03-Oct-2023
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Thank you. I had a good time writing the essay. I wasn't sure the teacher would appreciate it, but as it turned out, she did.
Comment from JSD
A great story. Lovely to hear of something that has stayed with you all your life. You write in an engaging and amusing way; this was really enjoyable to read, right down to your lucky escape at the end.
reply by the author on 02-Oct-2023
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A great story. Lovely to hear of something that has stayed with you all your life. You write in an engaging and amusing way; this was really enjoyable to read, right down to your lucky escape at the end.
Comment Written 02-Oct-2023
reply by the author on 02-Oct-2023
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Thank you for reading and commenting. I'm glad you enjoyed the story.
Comment from BethShelby
This is an excellent story. I think probably at least half of the kids are terrified when entering high school. I know I was and my own children tell me there were as well. We just think we're the only ones. It is very reassuring to win a contest and get some positive recognition. Our high school had kids coming in from smaller country schools as well. I think we accepted them and became their friend. I don't know what it might have felt like from their perspective.
reply by the author on 01-Oct-2023
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This is an excellent story. I think probably at least half of the kids are terrified when entering high school. I know I was and my own children tell me there were as well. We just think we're the only ones. It is very reassuring to win a contest and get some positive recognition. Our high school had kids coming in from smaller country schools as well. I think we accepted them and became their friend. I don't know what it might have felt like from their perspective.
Comment Written 01-Oct-2023
reply by the author on 01-Oct-2023
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Thank you. I remember one girl was kind to all of us, but the rest were real snobs. They came from wealthy families and considered us country kids beneath them. It didn't change much after I won the contest.
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Even though I was in the larger school, most of the kids in my class were from the country. Only one girls family had money and she loved the country more than tht rest of us. Therel was money in the class above us and below us.
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Even though I was in the larger school, most of the kids in my class were from the country. Only one girls family had money and she loved the country more than tht rest of us. Therel was money in the class above us and below us.