I do not remember when I learned how to write, but I do remember the teachers and the subject matter that made me think and made me want to write what I was thinking. Throughout my formal school education, it was my English teachers who truly amazed me for it was they who taught me the tools I needed to write.
             In high school I had a magnificent teacher named Mr. Dawson. I was fortunate enough to have him as my English teacher in my first year of high school. He was a big burly Irish man with red hair and a very soft voice. We read The Lord of the Flies, Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales, The Catcher in the Rye, Shakespeare, and scores of others great pieces of literature. Mr. Dawson was similar to Mr. Keating played by Robin Williams in the movie Dead Poets Society. He made characters come to life and helped us to see how the struggles characters go through in literature are the same ones that people struggle with from day to day. He was so passionate about the literature we read that it was contagious. We wanted to read more and write about what we were reading.
             Mr. Dawson also loved film and public speaking. His classroom was covered with old movie posters. His favorite hobby was to go into New York City, to one of the big theaters, and watch movies. He'd talk about how the theater was set up, what the carpet looked like, how comfortable the seats were, and of course, how incredible the movie was. He also loved watching the Golden Globes and the Oscars and we would spend a lot of time critiquing how the actors and actresses spoke, and what they were wearing. Very often he'd use the Golden Globes and the Oscars as writing pieces in class.
             Aside from being an excellent teacher he was also a great confidence booster. I was the girl who always did her homework but did not really raise my hand to speak in class. My grades on my report card were always affected because I didn't participate in class. In Mr. K...