The Essay

The teacher stood in front of the class, “Today, she said, “I’m giving you the same assignment I give every year!” “Please write what you want to be when you grow up... and remember: There’s no wrong answer here.” She found most answers to be the same as every other year she taught: doctor, fireman, super hero, movie star… one student wants to own a yacht. The teacher read with interest…as their grammar she corrected until she came across one paper…with an answer unexpected. It was written by the shyest girl in class…who did not want a super power. WHEN I GROW UP, she wrote in capital letters,…I WANT TO BE A WILDFLOWER. Because bringing beauty to the world…is a flower’s livelihood and I want to grow in places …no one ever thought I ever could. The teacher held the essay in her hands…unwilling to let it go…and suddenly, out of nowhere, her tears began to flow. She gently set the essay down…and as it glowed in her lamp’s light…She thought for a moment, picked up her pencil…then she began to write. ‘You already bring beauty to my world’, she wrote ‘And I know you’ll find a way... to add beauty wherever you go.” and she graded it an A.