As a teacher have you ever been surprised by the essay written by your students?

It didn't start as an essay, but he later turned it into one.

Back when he was in 6th grade, P started band. He was in book 3 by the end of his first year, played in a multi-district band festival and County band. He progressed through middle school into high school band. In 9th grade, I accidentally heard him sing. A real bass! He joined our chorus, and went to District and Regional choral festivals. He was amazing!

During District chorus the guest conductor invited any willing student to introduce a song. P asked and was allowed to introduce How Can I Keep From Singing, arranged by Rollo Dilworth. He starts “Iwas raised by an alcoholic father and a mentally ill mother. By the time I was in 6th grade I was exploring ways to kill myself. Then one day, my music teacher showed me how to turn my pain into music…” After the audible gasp there wasn't a dry eye in the auditorium. Even the conductor was wiping his eyes.

P later turned his speech into an essay for a scholarship given by the state's retired teachers. They usually gave 2 $500 scholarships each year. In 2014 they gave 1 $1000 … to P. He went on to study music and became the first person in his family to graduate from college, with honors no less.