Young Writer of the Month

Learning From Mistakes by Elise Rodriguez

Elise and her mother, Shelby

If you don’t make mistakes then you will never have a chance to learn from them. Making mistakes is a great way to learn.

I just started going to a new school. It is a Montessori school. I like it because I get to work on things at my own pace. My new school has uniforms and my old school didn’t. There are no desks in my new classroom. There are tables, a computer lab, and we can even work on the floor if we want to. I have fewer kids in my new class. I have first graders, second graders, and third graders in my class. I like to help the first graders with their writing. My new school has music on Fridays and I even get to learn Spanish. I’m still trying to get used to my new school.

Sometimes, at school, when I write a word incorrectly, or a math problem, it teaches me how to write a math problem or how to write a word correctly.  It’s good because now I know how to spell better and do math. I need this because it helps me do good in school and to learn better.

I’ve also learned from one of my worst mistakes to always be kind to others, especially your friends. Last year, I hurt my friend’s feelings by saying a mean word to her. That was a bad mistake because she is my friend and I should be nice to all of my friends. What I said hurt her feelings. We didn’t see each other for a while. But then, I got to see her again and she forgave me when I made my apology and now we are back to being friends again. I see her a lot now. I’m happy to have my best friend back.

My dogs taught me something about mistakes this summer. They ate our tomatoes from our plants in the backyard. Now we know we have to put a fence around our garden so they can’t eat our food.

Mistakes help me learn. If I knew everything, I’d already be in fourth grade.

Elise Rodriguez just turned eight years old and is in the third grade at the California Montessori Project in Elk Grove, California. She likes music and plays the guitar, accordion, hand drums, and the piano. She has a keyboard at her house and she plays it every day. She loves to hum and sing, and write stories. She loves to read. Her favorite book is Rain boots for Breakfast. She has two dogs, a beagle named Connie, and a little terrier mix named Daisy. She loves her family and friends very much and is still getting used to her new school.