Category: Alicia Writes

Dear 16 Year Old Me,

On By Alicia McCauleyIn Letters2 Comments

Dear 16 Year Old Me,

If I had the ability to travel back in time, here are some things I’d tell you:

  • Don’t worry about the fact that you are flat chested.  This actually turns out to be a good thing later in life.  No, really.
  • Being tall is way better than you think.
  • A magical electronic device called the flat iron will take care of that whole nest of curls you fight every morning.
  • Your “summer boyfriend” will become your best friend, your husband, the love of your life.  You are at the beginning of a wonderful love story.
  • Call your Grandma.  You’ll be glad you did.
  • The top of the old water tower outside of Tijuaua will become one of your favorite places of all time.  Take a picture of the view.  You’ll wish you could remember it in sharper detail when you’re older.
  • You are stronger than you think, but it’s okay to let your guard down once in a while.
  • You will be an athlete.  It’s okay that you don’t believe me.  Sometimes I don’t believe it either.
  • Your life will have some moments like this:

(Sorry, but birds hate you.  Just accept the fact that they poop on you now and again.)

  • But most of your life will be like this:

You are at the start of a great life filled with friends, love, laughter, and adventure.  Hang on tight because life is fast and it’s never dull.

Love,

33 Year Old Me

P.S.-Be nicer to your little brother.  He turns out to be a pretty decent guy.

Little Star Girl

On By Alicia McCauleyIn Letters, Teacher TalesLeave a comment

Dear Little One,

You are amazing.

Today you told the class a story of a little boy and a little girl who put on magical star-shaped glasses.  When they put the glasses on, they became twinkle stars in the sky.  Their mothers spent the day looking for them everywhere, but their children were nowhere to be found.  That night the mothers looked into the sky and wished on a star that their children would return home.  When the mothers made the wish, the little boy and girl became shooting stars.  The fell back to Earth and landed in the arms of their mothers.

Little one, I am amazed at your ability to invent such a creative, magical, poignant story.  As I click away at my own story this month, I am inspired by you.

I hope you heard me, really heard me, when I told you what an amazing storyteller you are.  Just in case you didn’t, I’m going to tell you again tomorrow.  And the next day.  And the next day.  And all the days after that.

And tonight when I look up at the stars and think about things I’m thankful for, you are going to be at the top of my list, Little Star Girl.

Love you bunches,

Mrs. McCauley

NaNoWriMo: Help Wanted

On By Alicia McCauleyIn NaNoWriMo3 Comments

It is October 31st, known to most as Halloween, but known to insane writers everywhere as the night before NaNoWriMo.  That’s right, National Novel Writing Month is standing tiptoe at my door and I am, at best, unprepared.

Last year I did all sorts of things to prepare for a crazy month of writing.  This year I have done nothing.  Last year my plot came to me in a dream.  My dream life has been overactive as usual, but nothing worth putting on paper.  In short, I am skint.

Last year I was a NaNoWriMo winner, meaning I cranked out 1,667 words a day for 30 days for a total of just over 50,000 words.  I’m not saying they were interesting words or that my novel was any good, but I crossed the finish line and that’s what counts.

In cycling there is a term for people who do not cross the finish line.  It is DNF, as in Did Not Finish.  It is the most shameful of acronyms.  I know this because I DNF’d  once.  After a nasty sports drink incident, I found myself puking in front of scads of teeny tiny soccer kids, but even that was not as embarrassing as the DNF that appeared by my name.

So as I sit here on NaNoWriMo Eve, I am determined to win again, to outrun the dreaded DNF.  And I need your help.  Yes, you, the one averting your eyes and trying to click away from here.  Here’s how you can help: For the next month I need you to leave stuff in this post’s comments section.  Stuff like:

  • names
  • places
  • snippets of conversations you overhear
  • links to articles you find interesting or entertaining
  • favorite quotes
  • stuff your pet does
  • stuff your parents say or do
  • stories from your childhood
  • weird stuff your friends do
  • words you love
  • words you loathe
  • songs I should add to my writing playlist
  • anything and everything else that comes to mind

I am confident that with your help I’ll be able to pound out 50k words by November 30th and instead of a horrid DNF appearing by my name, it will instead say WINNER.  There’s a certificate and everything.

I. Must. Have.  It.

Top 10 Pumpkin Patch Phrases

On By Alicia McCauleyIn Teacher Tales1 Comment

Fall is a magical time of year and no day is more magic filled than the day I head to the pumpkin patch with my class.  Yesterday was that day and as I sat at home looking at the mud on my shoes and pant cuffs, I couldn’t help but smile at the things that passed from the lips of my little ones.

10. “We’re finally here!  I’ve been waiting my whole life to get here!”

9. After jumping on the bounce pillow, “I think I bounced all my bounces out.”

8. “I’m picking a pumpkin for my mom because she’s the only one in our family who doesn’t have one yet.”

7. “Mrs. McCauley, it’s starting to rain.” said one of my little boys with a worried look.  “It’s just a little sprinkle.  Don’t let it ruin your day.” I patted his back.  “It would take a lot of sprinkles to ruin a day like this!” he smiled.

6. On being the one of one hundred children picked to wave the bandana that starts the pig races “Farmer Betsy May must have known it was my birthday yesterday and that I wished to do something special.”

5. “Where does corn come from?” asked a little girl. “See those tall stalks growing over there?  Those are cornstalks.” I pointed. “Wait, corn is a plant?!?” she said with her mouth agape.

4. After firing the corn cannon and accidentally hitting a cow “I’m sorry cow.  Do you forgive me?”  Sadly the cow did not respond and so my little one shrugged and said “Well, I tried.”

3. On having fingers licked by a goat “He has the most tickly lips!”

2. One of my little boys patted a rotting pumpkin and said “It’s okay that you’re old.  It’s your turn to return to the earth and make new pumpkins.”

1. Upon seeing ponies in the field, one of my little girls squealed “Oooh, ponies!  I love ponies.  When I grow up, I want to be one.”

Some Kid

On By Alicia McCauleyIn Letters, Teacher TalesLeave a comment

Dear Little One,

Yesterday I finished reading “Charlotte’s Web” to you.  The sad part of the book was approaching and I wrestled the lump in my throat until it sat low where it could not possibly escape.  It matters little that I read this book every year, E.B. White’s writing gets me every single time.  I loved this book as a kid and, if it’s possible, I love it even more as an adult.

I was doing a fine job of keeping that lump down and my eyes were only watering a little bit as I read about Wilbur leaving Charlotte to die alone.  Hang on a sec, I just need to stop typing and get a tissue.  Ahem. Anyway, I was doing a decent job of keeping things under control until I heard a sob from your direction.  I looked over and saw tears dribbling from your brown eyes, down your cheeks, and onto your desk.  In a quivering voice you said, “It’s just so sad, Mrs. McCauley, it’s just so sad.”  I could not agree more, Little One.  You got up to get a tissue and several girls followed, dabbing at their eyes.  The little boys wiped their eyes on shirtsleeves and for a minute we just sat there in our sadness.  I waited, pushing that lump back down, brushing my tears away with my fingertips.  I waited until we were all done blowing our noses and wiping our eyes.  And then I read on until we reached the happy end when the spiderlings hatch and life renews itself.  We talked about the book and moved on with our afternoon, but you were too sad to sing, too sad to do math, too sad to read any other books.  You put your head down and I rubbed your back when I walked by your desk.  Later you took out your notebook and drew spider webs.

Today we watched the movie Charlotte’s Web.  Before we watched it, we talked about how it’s okay to cry when you’re sad.  You and some of the others pulled out wads of tissue before the movie began.  And just in case I needed it, you stuffed a tissue in my hand, too.  The movie made us laugh and cry.  And it was good.  During the movie, you wrote in your notebook.  You wrote about how much you love Charlotte.  You drew her dangling from her web and told me about how she still lives in your heart.

Little One, I love that you wear your heart on your sleeve.  I love that you are moved by the written word.  I love that you work your sadness out with a pencil and paper.  To paraphrase a certain spider, you are some kid.  Long after you leave first grade, long after you graduate high school, long after you raise children of your own, I will remember this day because you, Little One, will still live in my heart.

Love,

Mrs. McCauley