Yashin Phillips
Ms. Gravely
Literacy Narrative
03 March, 2009
Goober Trooper
I never would have thought that peanut butter and jelly would be the justification for my love of writing. One of my earliest memoirs of writing was significant because it was the first essay I had ever written. That essay set the record of how I would feel about writing at this present time.
I walked back into the classroom from lunch and recess with sweaty palms, and a queasy feeling which had to be the ubiquitous aroma from “Skittles” our pet rabbit. That scent always turned my stomach coming back from lunch.
Approaching my desk I noticed words written on the chalk board which stated “5 paragraph essays.” I don’t know why, but I convinced myself that my second grade teacher would forget about it. She walked up to the front of the classroom at a snail’s pace with paper in her hands. Mrs. Girion was a caramel complexioned woman with short black hair, along with those big protruding eyeballs that would startle me when looking at her with a sharp glance. Her assertive attitude made her well respected amongst her students.
“ Class clear off your desks except for pencil!” Today you will be writing your first Descriptive five paragraph essays! I want all of you to describe how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Make sure you explain every single step because I will take points off for each mistake! After you are finished you can go to the back of the classroom and make yourself one if you like.
“Cool”, Nickolas Thompson yelped out and jumped out of his seat when he heard that.
By the looks of him he already had too many sandwiches during his lifetime. Nick

slowly sat back down in his chair adjusting his Power Ranger sweatshirt that allowed his pot belly to peak through, so that Mrs. Girion could proceed.
“ Class I have written down the words; Introduction, First, Second, Third, and
Conclusion down on the sheet of paper I’m handing out to you. Now make sure you put them in the correct place in you essays. “
I inhaled one big gulp of air as if it would be my last and exhaled. That always seemed to calm me down when I’m nervous. I raised my hand swinging my feet back and forth.
“ Yes Yashin,” she softly replied, while making her way toward me.
I looked up at her with a big smile and said, “May I go to the bathroom (trying to get out of it)?”
“Nope you should have gone when the class went earlier, extending her out for me to grab the paper, and walked away.”
“Well Mrs. Girion what if we don’t finish,” I blurted out trying to find a new approach.
“You will Yashin,” she said sharply, while approaching her desk.
“But what if we don’t Mrs. Girion what will happen?”
I noticed the rest of the class wanted the answer to that question as well because everyone turned and looked at Mrs. Girion with curiosity.
I could sense her getting agitated, but I didn’t care. I was tremendously nervous about writing this essay.
She looked up at us raising her left eye brow and said, “Class if you don’t finish then you will have to stay after school until you do.”

That assertive attitude was making an entrance so I surrendered and said,
“Ooookaaay!”
The only dilemma other than my anxiety was when I turned around to the back of the classroom. I spied with my little eye two jars of something. It looked like one had peanut butter and the other had jelly.
I’ve never seen that before!
The only thing we had at my house was Goober that contained peanut butter and jelly mutually.
I didn’t know it came separately!
What if I wrote the steps wrong?
I was too uneasy and embarrassed to let her know about my massive dilemma.
I took another deep breath, slowly grabbed my pencil and began my Introduction.
I decided to take on the task head on and make it my own. While writing my second paragraph, I tried to picture myself at home in my kitchen, witnessing my mother dipping the knife in the Goober container and spreading it on the bread. Using the words
First, Second, Thirdly, and Conclusion Mrs. Girion so graciously gave us it seemed as if everything just fell into place. I felt as if I was putting together all the pieces to the puzzle in my own way.
“This isn’t so bad,” I thought to myself.
I knew that mine would be a little different. On the other hand I used the transition words in the proper format which definitely would boost my grade.
I turned in my paper and dashed to the back of the classroom where, Nicholas was of course stuffing his mouth with a PB&J sandwich.

The reasoning behind significance of my first essay is I found out that with being a writer, everybody has their own way of telling a story. There is no wrong or right way of doing it. I learned that you can improvise with what you know to make something great. Even though you get backed into a corner with writers block or not knowing that peanut butter and jelly is contained in to separate jars you can always be a trooper to find your way out. Which is why writing is captivating to me.