Naugatuck Valley Community College
I TOLD YOU I COULD DO IT.... Jeannie Evans-Boniecki As the English teacher handed back their essays, the students anxiously scanned the comments on their papers. She noted – “You know, it’s all about the connectors - the coordinators, the subordinators…. If you learn the “fanboys”, you can write long wonderful sentences and never have to worry about run-ons.” The teens flipped through their writing, scanning the green marks in the margins, the circles, the squiggles. “Once you learn those,” the teacher continued, ‘you can really loosen up. I mean you can go on and on forever and never have to stop….” She heard a few “Whatever”s and “Like you”s. She smiled, ‘And never get a green or a red mark on your paper, except maybe a “Well done!” or a “Wonderful!”. I’m not kidding…. A single sentence can create a whole world, tell a whole story, fill a whole page.’ She heard a few muffled harrumphs from behind their closed fists as if they were saying, if you had nothing better to do. Undaunted, the teacher made her way to the front of the room and settled herself at the edge of her desk. With a deep breath, she tried to gauge her class’s interest and saw one or two cautiously intrigued faces. Feeling encouraged, she continued…. “Here, let me show you…. Give me a topic….” The boy from the back called out, “Captain Price from Modern Warfare!” The teacher hung her head…. “Really? Why video games and guns? Can’t you give me something different?” “No, because they’re cool….” “Of course. Give me one, then… video games or guns…. I can’t handle both.” “Guns.” “Ok, guns….” She let out a sigh. “Here goes….”
“The boy followed the chittering of the squirrel as it moved 23
