In the seventh grade, my English teacher’s name was Mrs. Daly and I loved her. With her, we wrote. We didn’t dwell on grammar or spelling, but instead focused on how to craft the perfect sentence. Mrs. Daly coached my school’s Power of the Pen team, of which I was a member. In Power of the Pen, people are given a topic and a set amount of time to write something on that topic. Writing that way was great preparation for journalism school, writing on assignment and, frankly, for blogging.

Today is the National Day of Writing. This holiday is intended to celebrate the act of writing and learning by reading the writing of others. I am grateful on this day to the hours and hours Mrs. Daly spent with me making writing fun.

This post originally appeared on Kate’s Point of View. © Kate. All rights reserved.