R; The Miss Dennis School of Writing

I’ve always wondered what class was like with Miss Dennis. See, I was unfortunate enough to have Mr. Dennis instead; he taught down the hall in room 213. I made due in his English class but I still ponder the what ifs. The what if I had Miss Dennis and learned to really observe the room around me? Maybe I wouldn’t be stuck in this dead end office job at a low paying magazine for cat enthusiasts. The what if I had found my voice as a writer? Would I be stuck wiring dear Susie columns for lost unwanted women who live with their 12 cats (and Susie’s not even my real name)? The what if I discovered a love for poetry and literature? Then maybe I could actually go to one of those fancy dinner parties with tea and scones and have a lovely discussion with a scholar on English literature. I still find myself drifting back to the memories from time to time.
It’s hard to forget a teacher like Miss Dennis, and she wasn’t even mine. She impacted my friends in so many ways. They would often complain to me of their daily sightings, calling them a waste of time. I happened to agree at the moment. Little would I know that that simple exercise would have such enormous results. Miss Dennis would drill into their minds, “Pay Attention, I can’t teach you how to write, only to observe the world around you.” Two simple words, pay attention, impacted my friend’s lives everyday. While, I haven’t kept in touch with most since graduation in 1977, at all of the reunions I find myself listening intently to the stories of their ‘perfect’ lives. Some are CEOS, or bankers, or doctors and lawyers; I am a low wage writer for Cats <3. Let’s just say, I don’t go bragging about that one. Their time spent with Miss Dennis in ninth grade changed the way they looked at the world. That’s pretty big, even for a cat writer.
I can’t go back to ninth grade and transfer to Miss Dennis’ epic creative writing class; time machines haven’t quite been invented yet. But I can apply her lessons to life now. Those two simple words, pay attention, opened my eyes to society. I look at daily tasks with a different perspective. Even though I never had Miss Dennis, and still ponder those what ifs, I can feel more comfortable with where I’m at just by paying attention. Her lesson don’t have to begin or end in ninth grade, they continue and are still applied now. Thank you Miss Dennis, down the hall from me so many years ago, I’m finally paying attention.