Kids in Classroom (flickr.com)

Classes have started for barely a month. It was a warm June afternoon, lunch break just ended, and the class were busy having good chats before the next classes start, punctuated by the percussive footsteps of some students hurrying to get back to their classrooms in time.

The English teacher walked right in, and the class was in order. After the mandatory prayers, the students took to their seats. “Today,” the teacher said, “we’re going to write an essay.”

The chatter fell silent at the mention of the word “essay”. After all, when you’re dealing with the teacher who handled the school paper for more than a decade the mere mention of the word evokes a death sentence. “And because you’re in high school now,” the teacher continued, “this won’t be the same as your grade school ‘formal theme’. You won’t be copying your teacher’s sample essay; you will make your own.” Sensing the students’ apprehensions,  he said, “I won’t make it hard for you. You will be writing your thoughts on a topic you all know about.” Read the rest of this entry »