Mr. Hazzard just published his “Love Letter to Brooks” and wrote about why he loves Brooks and how he came to love Brooks so much. So for one of my last ever articles for the BALM or any newspaper in general, I’d like to dedicate it to the teacher who got me into writing in the first place, Mr. Ejzak.
Before I came to Brooks I hated writing. I hated anything that had to do with ELA. You couldn’t pay me to pick up a book and read it or write essays for fun. Not only that but I didn't consider myself a “good” writer. I still don’t. I never saw writing as something “fun”. I always thought of it as MLA, double-spaced, work cited page, and size 12 Times New Roman font. The thought of writing anything for leisure was insane. It was never an activity I generally liked, unlike reading. I loved reading. I could sit with a book and entertain myself for hours. My love for reading died in about 3rd grade when I had to start reading for a grade. I hated the fact that my love had been forced onto me. Not to mention how painfully boring the books were. Popcorn reading to a slow reader, reading checks, book logs, I hated all of it. Of course, I still passed with As but it was all by force, not by choice.
I carried this burning hatred into my freshman year of high school. We read The Poet X and had to write some sort of poetry about it. Honestly, I don’t think I completed it. I half-assed the essay and never read the book. I barely even joined the class and still somehow passed with a C. Going into my sophomore year, my hopes weren’t very high. I was in this oddly lit-up class with a teacher whose name I didn’t know how to say. Not only that but he made us READ at the start of EVERY CLASS PERIOD. I thought I was just going to pass out. “Why would anyone ever want to read for 30 minutes straight? Was he insane?? No book is even that interesting.” I thought to myself. Little did I know that this small action brought me to where I am today.
The first book I ever read in his class was One of Us is Lying, personally recommended by the man himself. I had no expectations for this book. I hadn’t read a book for fun since the 4th grade. Why would this be any different right? Wrong. Dead wrong. I’m not here to spoil the book, and frankly, I've read so much better, but at the time I was in LOVE. I found myself reading even when I wasn’t in his class. I’d skip classes to read this book. I would tell the 2 most important people in my life, 2 white people of course, how much I was in love with the book. My best friend at the time was just as in love with reading as Ejzak was. Not to mention that we sat right next to each other, not getting any work done, seeing who could read the fastest. I finished that book in a little under a week and I wanted more. Prior to this, I’d told Ejzak about a book I wanted to read but that he didn’t have. Can you guess what happened? Once I finished One of Us is Lying he had the book I wanted They Both Die at the End. I finished that book faster than the first one. Even crying at the end in the middle of class. This obsession continued throughout the entirety of my sophomore year. I was tied for first for the most books read out of all of his classes totaling 20 books. The most I’d ever read in years.
Towards the end of the year, the BALM was accepting applications. At this point, I told Ejzak everything so I asked him about it. He thought that I’d be a great fit. Before this, I'd just finished my essay for his class, which he helped me every step of the way. Yes, I'm aware that I should've been able to do it on my own but having some sort of support made me so much more confident, back to the main point though. I hadn’t joined any clubs yet due to my anxiety but something in me told me to apply. I would go to the meeting and just sit silently in a corner. Sure I knew Angel, but Angel knew everyone. I’d sit behind his desk and pitch my article after the meeting was over. I’d write about books that I read during class and my ratings of them. At first, I’d format it like a proper essay. Proper English, and amazing grammar, I’d overthink every sentence out of fear of people judging me. I wouldn’t put any emotion into it and it was all very hollow. Eventually, I got more comfortable with my writing and started spreading my trauma to all of Brooks. This new love for reading and writing carried me into junior year.
Now this was the more “dull” part of my love. My original love and passion for reading and writing was dying. I wasn't writing as much for the BALM and I had no time to read on my own. Of course, I still visited Ejzak, my locker was right next to his class, but it was significantly less than the year before.
Senior year was when I completely reset my love for writing and reading once again. I had so much more time on my hands and was able to completely immerse myself in my reading. I found myself buying new books (and a bookcase!!) to fuel my slight obsession and love for reading. Reading and writing slowly became my most healthy coping mechanisms. Whenever I felt a strong emotion, I'd write about it. Whenever I needed to escape from the world, I'd read. If I didn't have these coping skills I wouldn't be the woman I am today. Genuinely. Mostly because I'd probably be dead. Anyway, I am so eternally grateful that I got reintroduced into reading and writing.
All of this, of course, ties back to Ejzak for introducing me to reading in the first place. Once I graduate I plan on giving all the age-appropriate books I've collected to him to hopefully have someone fall in love with reading like I did. I will always speak highly of him on every student ambassador tour of my favorite teacher at Brooks and how he's like a very happy cat whose favorite color is probably yellow. I'll never forget you Ejzak and thank you for making me read all the way back in English 2 :)
I carried this burning hatred into my freshman year of high school. We read The Poet X and had to write some sort of poetry about it. Honestly, I don’t think I completed it. I half-assed the essay and never read the book. I barely even joined the class and still somehow passed with a C. Going into my sophomore year, my hopes weren’t very high. I was in this oddly lit-up class with a teacher whose name I didn’t know how to say. Not only that but he made us READ at the start of EVERY CLASS PERIOD. I thought I was just going to pass out. “Why would anyone ever want to read for 30 minutes straight? Was he insane?? No book is even that interesting.” I thought to myself. Little did I know that this small action brought me to where I am today.
The first book I ever read in his class was One of Us is Lying, personally recommended by the man himself. I had no expectations for this book. I hadn’t read a book for fun since the 4th grade. Why would this be any different right? Wrong. Dead wrong. I’m not here to spoil the book, and frankly, I've read so much better, but at the time I was in LOVE. I found myself reading even when I wasn’t in his class. I’d skip classes to read this book. I would tell the 2 most important people in my life, 2 white people of course, how much I was in love with the book. My best friend at the time was just as in love with reading as Ejzak was. Not to mention that we sat right next to each other, not getting any work done, seeing who could read the fastest. I finished that book in a little under a week and I wanted more. Prior to this, I’d told Ejzak about a book I wanted to read but that he didn’t have. Can you guess what happened? Once I finished One of Us is Lying he had the book I wanted They Both Die at the End. I finished that book faster than the first one. Even crying at the end in the middle of class. This obsession continued throughout the entirety of my sophomore year. I was tied for first for the most books read out of all of his classes totaling 20 books. The most I’d ever read in years.
Towards the end of the year, the BALM was accepting applications. At this point, I told Ejzak everything so I asked him about it. He thought that I’d be a great fit. Before this, I'd just finished my essay for his class, which he helped me every step of the way. Yes, I'm aware that I should've been able to do it on my own but having some sort of support made me so much more confident, back to the main point though. I hadn’t joined any clubs yet due to my anxiety but something in me told me to apply. I would go to the meeting and just sit silently in a corner. Sure I knew Angel, but Angel knew everyone. I’d sit behind his desk and pitch my article after the meeting was over. I’d write about books that I read during class and my ratings of them. At first, I’d format it like a proper essay. Proper English, and amazing grammar, I’d overthink every sentence out of fear of people judging me. I wouldn’t put any emotion into it and it was all very hollow. Eventually, I got more comfortable with my writing and started spreading my trauma to all of Brooks. This new love for reading and writing carried me into junior year.
Now this was the more “dull” part of my love. My original love and passion for reading and writing was dying. I wasn't writing as much for the BALM and I had no time to read on my own. Of course, I still visited Ejzak, my locker was right next to his class, but it was significantly less than the year before.
Senior year was when I completely reset my love for writing and reading once again. I had so much more time on my hands and was able to completely immerse myself in my reading. I found myself buying new books (and a bookcase!!) to fuel my slight obsession and love for reading. Reading and writing slowly became my most healthy coping mechanisms. Whenever I felt a strong emotion, I'd write about it. Whenever I needed to escape from the world, I'd read. If I didn't have these coping skills I wouldn't be the woman I am today. Genuinely. Mostly because I'd probably be dead. Anyway, I am so eternally grateful that I got reintroduced into reading and writing.
All of this, of course, ties back to Ejzak for introducing me to reading in the first place. Once I graduate I plan on giving all the age-appropriate books I've collected to him to hopefully have someone fall in love with reading like I did. I will always speak highly of him on every student ambassador tour of my favorite teacher at Brooks and how he's like a very happy cat whose favorite color is probably yellow. I'll never forget you Ejzak and thank you for making me read all the way back in English 2 :)
Allyse Walker
