mikao's world

Ringmaster

I think it is unfortunate that there are not more teachers worthy to remember. Indeed, there are many teachers we do remember, but most often for reasons that we shouldn't.

I always thought Mrs. Peterson was a teacher worth remembering. When I started the sixth grade, she started teaching sixth grade Language Arts for the first time, and unfortunately, I think it may also have been the last time. Normally she was a grade 2 or 3 teacher.

Mrs. Peterson gave us room to roam. She gave us room to create. To write. To explore. To publish. She was the young writer's dream teacher.

She was also the reason why I wrote the following story at age 12, which won a provincial writing contest at the time.

The Wooden Circus Set

There it was, sitting in the corner of my room, the little red wooden cage full of wooden animals, people and poles, and a tent, finely decorated with paint and silver sparkles. Best of all, in bright, gay yellow lettering on the top of the cage were the words: SHRINE CIRCUS. My five-year-old imagination ran wild when that little cage was opened and the contents were put together.

Dreamily, my eyes closed, and I felt dizzy and small. As I opened my eyes, I saw the wooden tigers and elephants, the clowns and acrobats, ALIVE! I couldn't believe it! I was actually in my circus set, except that there was a crowd! But where was the ring-master? I felt a tingle up my spine, I wasn't wearing my simple plain dress, long stockings and black shoes. But what was I wearing? As I looked down I saw a ring-master outfit!

"Come on!" a clown yelled, "You're on!" As I ran into the ring, not knowing what to say, I remembered what the ring-master had said at the Circus I had gone to the year before. I began: "Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls..."

Copyright Michelle Johnston, 1991.