“Iny, would you like to read your essay aloud to the group?”

A sheepish 3rd grade girl with long black hair sank down in her chair and hid her face behind an upright binder. When I looked at her, she avoided my gaze and mumbled a soft “no thank you.” 

Uncertain about her writing skills, Iny would do anything to avoid participating in class. Though she relished the writing process, she just wasn’t confident enough to share her work with her fellow writers. However, after a few sessions of gentle nudging, I could see that this timid turtle was prudently peeking out of her shell.

“You got this, Iny! You’re a wonderful writer. Maybe just read one paragraph today?” 

Slowly and steadily, Iny agreed to read parts of her work aloud – a sentence or two here, a paragraph there. With every audience applause and completed composition, she became more bold. It also helped that as her writing skills improved, so did her self-esteem.

Then, one sunny Saturday morning, she finally raised her hand in class. “I’d like to volunteer to read first,” she said with a smile.  After that, her essay speeches became a fantastic fixture to our weekly sessions.

Today, as a 10th grader, Iny continues to communicate with a wider audience. She is currently a staff writer at The Burlingame B, the student newspaper of Burlingame High School. We're overjoyed that one of our former students is now a published author who continues to raise her hand and share her writing as a journalist.

Read Iny’s articles here.