When I was in the 7th grade I had an English teacher named Miss Risser. She was probably in her 50′s but she seemed old to us. The fact that she was older gave her a bit more credibility in my eyes because she had been teaching forever and so she much know what she was talking about.

For some reason Miss Risser went out of her way to tell me that I was a good writer. She would occasionally tell me that in the notes she wrote on my paper and she would tell me in person as well. I distinctly remember her saying to me that I was a good writer and I could be even better if I worked on my spelling and vocabulary.

Years later when I was in the 10th grade I needed to get a summer job. Now jobs for 16 year olds are usually at McDonald’s or some other fast food joint but my mom helped me get one at the local newspaper. Because of my interest in writing she wanted to get me something I was interested in and was able to pull a string or two and get me in. Nothing fancy, just minimum wage work where I helped out wherever they needed me.

The point is that because of that positive reinforcement I had gotten several years earlier from my English teacher, I was confident in my writing and actually interested in it. I did work harder on it knowing that someone had confidence in me. Sometimes all a kid needs is a little encouragement and it will lead to great success.