Jenna Edge

Have you ever had to give a reason for your dislike of a certain task or activity, and responded with the words: "I don't like it, because I'm not any good at it"? Growing up, I too fell into this category when it came to the subject of literature and composition. Every time I was assigned to write an essay, or even respond to a simple short answer question, I would become extremely frightened. I kept telling myself that I was not good at English, so any form of writing became a monumental task for me, a monster even.

I had to press on, however, as I had no other choice, but I remember the day things began to change. It was early in my freshman year of high school, and I had recently finished an important paper for my literature class. When my teacher returned the graded report, I was astounded by the comments she left—she thought that I was a fantastic writer. She was the first person to ever tell me that, to give me even a faint glimmer of hope, but she was definitely not the last. Through the next few years, I became more and more confident in my skills as a writer, as my teachers kept encouraging me, often telling me what a joy my writing was to read.

Though I still get incredibly nervous when it comes to composition assignments, even those such as this, I have come to understand that I actually can write, even though it still is not my favorite thing to do. Because of the words of affirmation from several wonderful mentors throughout my life, I have realized that there truly is hope for me in the great adventure of composition. If I persevere, I can prevail.