Asata Bamba

Bamba 1

Ms. Henry
English Composition 101
15 September 2015
The Superb Shark of the Week
Reflecting back on my life and my experience in the writing world, I never really took
the time to ponder on the exact moment I feel like I became a writer. I can recall on times where
Ive written short stories and sold them during events at my school, or acted as a journalist in the
entertainment section of the play newspaper a previous English class of mine constructed. But if
I had to narrow it down to the very, exact moment I became a writer, I remember that moment as
if it was yesterday.
Good morning class! My name is Mrs. Cobb and I will be your teacher for the school
year!
I strolled into the classroom just as she recited those words just a tad bit tardy, I know
and I soon noticed that the desks were labeled with vibrantly colored paper pencil cutouts with
all of the students names on it. I rendered a subtle grin at Mrs. Cobb then sat in my assigned seat
so she could proceed with her welcome speech. I took a glance at everyone surrounding me, and
felt a little at ease learning that everyone seemed just as nervous as I was. After all, it was the
very beginning of my fifth grade experience, I was late on my first day, and on top of sitting in a
group of four with a few kids Ive never seen before in my life, right under my name on my desk
was a thirty-or-so word list of vocabulary words that I have never witnessed being used in real
life conversations.

Alright everyone, as you may have noticed there is a list of vocabulary words on the
corner of your desk. In this class, I dont want you to think we will all be talking like elementary
school kids. You all are on your way out the door and into middle school, so its time we up the
ante and enhance your choice of words. Now, for your first assignment, I want you all to create a
story about absolutely anything. Just make sure you use at least three of the words on your list.
Being the observant little girl that I was, I took another glance at the kids around me and
seen how petrified everyone was. I liked to be positive and thought that I was somewhat gifted as
a writer, so to me, this assignment was no biggie.
Also, the way I like to operate is for every writing assignment we have, the person who
gets the highest grade will get a Superb Star with their name on it. Itll hang out in the hallway as
the Superb Shark of the Week (the elementary school I attended had the shark as the mascot), and
his/her paper will be used as an example for my students next year. You will also get a candy of
your choice, so I want everyone to take out a piece of paper and write down your name and
favorite candy then pass it up.
After that oration I was more than ready to get this show on the road and the wheels
turning in my mind. I decided to write a short story (which ended up being about five or six
pages) about a society solely populated by animals. The protagonist was an African elephant who
once served as a pharaoh back in his hometown of Cairo, Egypt but decided to move to the
States and live out an average, every day, American life. I managed to use more than three of the
vocabulary words. I even threw in some advanced words from my own prior knowledge along
with a dazzling cover page just to add the icing on top of my eccentric story. Mrs. Cobb gave the
class a couple days to perfect their pieces then collected it to grade. A couple more days went by,

and Mrs. Cobb hadnt yet to let anyone know how well or crummy they did on their writing
assignments.
After what felt like an eternity to get any feedback, Mrs. Cobb arrived to class eager to
teach. I espied that she carried a small plastic bag with her and with Reeses being my favorite
candy I was delighted to peep a slight bit of orange through the bag. However, I wasnt onehundred percent sure what it was so I decided to just hang on tight and wait for her to announce
who the Superb Shark of the Week was.
Good morning everyone! she exclaimed.
Good morning, Mrs. Cobb! the class responded in unison. Well, excluding this one kid
Billy who was a few seconds late with his good morning greeting.
As you can see, I have this bag here with a superb star and a candy in it. Before I
announce who the Superb Shark of the Week is, I would like to elaborate which is one of your
vocabulary words, guys on what lead me to go with this student.
I immediately perfected my posture and started blushing before she could even reveal the
Superb Sharks identity. I do not know why I was so eager from the jump. There was twenty-one
other kids who couldve listed Reeses as their favorite candy besides me.
She hastily cleared her throat then continued on with her grand address.
This student is nothing short of a delight. She, and yes I am saying she gentleman so
Im sorry but the Superb Shark of the Week is a girl this time around, wrote such an out-of-thebox and outstanding story that even reading the title caught me off guard. Her diction was
fantastic, the story flowed effortlessly, and the imagery was definitely there to the point where I
felt like I could envision everything that was going on without a problem. She even went out of
her way to create a cover page for her story which was very impressive.

Once I heard that last sentence, I knew I had this thing in the bag because I was the only
one in the class who made a cover page.
Mrs. Cobb continued, Im excited for what this young lady has in store for the school
year and I look forward to being entertained time and time again. She truly has a knack for
writing.
She painted a huge smile on her face then looked right at me. Everyone, lets give a
mighty round of applause for our very own Asata! The class cheered for me as I got up and
strolled on over to Mrs. Cobb to attain my copy of a superb star and king-sized Reeses cups.
Before I could even open my mouth to thank her she looked me dead in my eyes and said, I am
so impressed by you, Asata. You are extremely creative and should definitely keep on writing to
perfect your craft! Congratulations, you deserve this.
This is the moment I became a writer.
She stretched her arms out to give me a hug then chuckled and said, Now make sure you
go out in the hallway to eat your Reeses. Tyler is allergic to peanut butter, and we dont need
anyone having any allergic reactions to anything under my watch!
Thank you, Mrs. Cobb! I exclaimed. Thank you so much.