Discovering Myself Through Reading and Writing

Dear Class,
Mr. D and I are asking you write a letter and to reflect on your experiences with reading and writing in your personal life and in past English classes. I thought I'd share mine.
As early as I can remember, I think I've always viewed writing as something artistic and imaginative. The first time a teacher asked me to write a story was back in first grade. She wanted Halloween pumpkin stories from us, complete with illustrations. I tried my best to be surprising and different - and I really do remember the effort. After reading the stories, though, the teacher expressed alarm, worried that there might be something wrong with me because my main character (a jack 'o lantern) ended up being baked in a Thanksgiving pie. I thought it was clever and that it made sense with the food chain and all. I tried the best I could that year to be more predictably like the other kids. I wonder how many times teachers unwittingly do that sort of thing to their students.
My writing has naturally evolved since those days, but I hope to recapture that childlike imagination that should be limitless and free. I don't often write fiction, but I love to read it, and I'm very interested in the process of writing it. I think that it would be a fascinating way to explore my own life by creating a fictional account of some of my own experiences. I have had some unusual events in my life. I've lived in Mexico, Canada, Japan, and several cities in the U.S. I was married to a professional baseball player and have even been on a television talk show. I have two kids (both in college now),two dogs, two cats, and lots of friends.
Whatever your circumstances, I believe each one of us has a story to tell.
Most of what I write these days is nonfiction, though. I have a collection of memoirs I keep doodling with, and I've been working on a series of articles reflecting research on new digital literacies (the weblog). I like to utilize writing and reading workshop strategies in our classroom. For those of you familiar with "workshop," you already know that this means that the class is student centered and that your writing needs will dictate what we focus on in the class. You will be setting goals, and together we will evaluate your growth as readers and writers and independent thinkers. You will challenge yourself to develop further, and I'm happy to be on that path with you.
In closing, I'm anxious to read what you have to say. Some of you, I know, will have more extensive and positive experiences with reading and writing than others. What matters, though, is the desire. Wherever you are on that scale of experience, you must be willing to push yourself. I can't wait. It's such a worthwhile journey!