When she first learned to write

December, fourteenth nineteen ninety-six.

It had been snowing for sometime in Nashville. Many schools were putting up decorations and getting ready for the Christmas holidays. Harpeth Hill included. On that day at Harpeth Hill, those in the school choir were in the new hall (new because the old one was now the cafeteria). The paths from the hall lead to the many classrooms in the school. Let us make an entrance to the second classroom on the right. 1B.

Classroom 1B was full of little ones excited about learning to write their names, all but one, Danielle Vanderzaag. Danielle’s goal was to learn to write her name but she was afraid, afraid that she would never be able to do it then the whole class would laugh at her. Well mostly Dennis Rickman. Quite a shame. Mrs Seryck handed out to each of the children, a sheet of paper on which they would practise writing their names before placing them in their writing books and on Christmas cards.

Danielle picked up her pencil, put it in her left hand, then placed her thumb, index and forefinger on the pencil and started to write the first letter of her name. She carefully drew a great big letter ‘D’ which was followed by an adorable small cased letter ‘a’ and by the time she reached the letter ‘l’ she was more confident then made the mistake of not writing the second ‘l’. When she saw her mistake her confidence left her. She crossed what she had written and started again. Alas she did it again, she forget to write in the double ‘a’ in her surname. Now Danielle was left feeling cross with herself. Eliza Seryck was looking around at all of the children’s work. “A very good Emma” and “Dennis stopping making Jenna cry!” were words that were heard from the teacher. Then Eliza noticed little Danielle with her head on the desk, crying.
“What’s the matter Dani?” she said.
“I’m cross with myself” she replied.
“Hmm and why is that?”
“I keep making mistakes” she sobs.
“Well Dani I also made mistakes when I first started to write my name.”
“You did?” she says sniffing.
“U-hum and do you know what my teacher told me?”
Danielle shakes her head
“My teacher told me to never give up and to always go for the gold and on the bright side at least you know how to spell your name, now does that make you feel better?”
  “Yes, thank you Mrs Seryck” she said cheerfully.
“You know you’re always welcome Dani, good luck” and with having said that the teacher gave her a wink and went to attend to the other children.

So Danielle began again. She picked up her pencil, put it in her left hand then placed her thumb, index and forefinger on the pencil and started to write a great big ‘D’. Without any fuss at all, Danielle was writing her name and in her head she kept till herself ‘to go for the gold’. When Danielle finished she was quite pleased with herself, she especially liked the way she wrote her ‘z’ in ‘Vanderzaag’. Hence Danielle decided to write her name again but this time with her cute little heart as the dot on her ‘i’. Mrs Seryck then came round to her table. She was very pleased with Danielle so she gave her a pat on the back, put a stamp on her book and told her to write her name in the book and card.

Danielle had completed her goal successfully and she felt that it was a good end towards the Christmas holidays and her parents would be so proud of her.
Till this day she still remembers to never give up and to always go for the gold.

I
          should
                            know.