She Felt Small and Intimidated

She was interested in learning a new word each day So she opened the dictionary and began cruising through the pages On every page she found less than two words she knew There were millions of words she had never heard in her life. How did I miss all of them? She asked herself. She began to list them but they meant nothing without the meaning. She has a new appreciation now for people who do know the language It has made her kinder, and more empathetic to her E.L.L. students. Never in her life has she felt so ignorant and hopeless. It was the best way possible to develop a new perspective. She slammed the dictionary shut, determined to not be overwhelmed. But it did not work. She was intimidated, feeling small and uneducated. You have two master degrees, her boss argued. You must know some words. She knew she did, however, at this second, On this day, in this study, she could barely Put a sentence together.