Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction

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Ms Callaway. Kind, gentle, soft voiced. She was such a relief after two years of the harsh looking, harsh sounding Ms Ridley. I member how hard it was to come from the year one class where every day was lovely to face the strict, severe atmosphere of year two. After suffering for a year- although I always did the right thing and was regarded as a good student, I couldn't believe my bad luck when, accompanied by my mother, I turned up after the long summer holidays to see I was going to be in he class for another year. My heart sank. A quiet and polite little girl like me had no hope of doing anything but suffer for another year.
Forward twelve months and hooray! Move into the fourth grade to the happy, safe environment of Miss Callaway's class. Nurturing and fostering enthusiasm for learning rather than installing fear, we all blossomed in our own way. What a difference a kind heart and mind can make to a child, regardless of their academic ability or their personal sense of self..

Fast forward 44 years and I' m one of the teachers. My students, even though they are high school age, feel safe, secure and free to have a go, regardless of their ability. Thank you Miss Callaway for having such a far reaching influence on generations of children .

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