Once upon a time there was a teacher named Mr. Byers. He had gray hair, a constant frown, and smelled horribly like coffee. He’d been a teacher for 84 years at C. R. Elementary School. Kids were very scared of him…except for the ones in his own class. They didn’t think he was mean. They thought of him as just a bit weird. Plus he was old, so they forgave him for singing badly or making lame jokes or forgetting almost everything. Old people are often misunderstood and need help from younger and smarter people.
One day Mr. Byers got it in his brain that he was going to be a writer. He told Mr. H, the principal. “That’s just silly,” Mr. H said. “You’re a teacher, not a writer. You don’t know how to write!”
But Mr. Byers was determined. First he learned his ABC’s. Next he learned simple words like CAT, BAT, and BENEVOLENCE. Finally he put together words to create sentences. Then he took his writing to Mr. H and read it aloud.
“CAT BAT HOW FOOD TWO COFFEE BENEVOLENCE,” read Mr. Byers. “The End.”
“That’s not a story,” said Mr. H. “It’s not even a sentence. It just doesn’t make any sense!”
“Thank you,” said Mr. Byers. Mr. H shook his head.