A little girl sat at a desk that her father painted for her, complete with drawer handles carved into butterflies and located in such a way that it faced the prime species of pear trees for climbing, which lie just beyond the windowsill. A feeling of failure rushed through her veins as her hands flew rapidly in an attempt to hit something or someone. She was crying, carefully, she avoided getting any tears on her homework. It was a daily occurrence for this little girl, she screamed and cried in frustration because her schoolwork was just too hard, and she so severely lacked the focus to sit still.
However, one day, the fit never happened. That was the day her fifth-grade teacher introduced the young girl to persuasive writing. A little disoriented by the idea of writing down an argument at first, she was reluctant to write her teacher an essay. It amazed her, how easy it was to put down words. It was formula free, it invited her to use every last bit of creativity she had in her little mind, and she loved it. She was good at it, too. Her teacher would often ask her to share her writing with the class, which finally brought her out of her shell ever so slightly.
In the winter of that year, the fifth-grade writing test came around. All the other children groaned in disgust. However, the girl drew up an outline for her paper in less than ten minutes and received a near perfect score on her essay about why she should be allowed to bring her dog to school. Her teacher, Ms. Margaret Close, said to the girl’s mother: “I would love to see her write for a newspaper.”
So, she did.
She is the editor-in-chief of a newspaper, actually.
I am the little girl, if you haven’t guessed. My name is Caroline Franklin. I am six years older, now a junior in high school, but still as in love with writing as I was. I joined the school newspaper last year at Milton High School, after being too shy to join before then. One short year later, and I am the editor-in-chief of the Eagle Edition. I spend most of my time wondering how I can turn something into a groundbreaking story (and wondering how to deal with my loveable yet unruly staff, consisting of mostly pre-pubescent high school kids). I love every second of the ‘job’ and I hope one day to translate my love for reporting into a position at the New York Times.
Being an odd and fidgety child somehow brought me into the Fulton County TAG program, and because of that, I have an amazing opportunity here at Jera Publishing. I am just starting out an internship at Jera, so get used to me. You’ll probably see me in your inbox in the Jera newsletter quite often.
It is with great excitement that I say, hello Jera! I look forward to writing until my fingers fall off.