Oxford Middle School teacher Libby Dolson finds her sixth graders to be some of the most imaginative individuals around; however, she’s also found that their ability to be creative is often hindered by their fear for acceptance in a new environment.
So what does Dolson decide to do about the situation? Give them a writing assignment of course!
Dolson said she asks her kids to break loose by reading, enjoying and then writing tall tales. Before beginning the assignment, the students are given Hugh Gallagher’s ‘College Application Essay,? where Gallagher exaggerates his ability in everything in a mock application essay, to read and explore.
‘Some sixth graders coming into middle school are a little apprehensive, so I approach this project as a self-esteem builder,? explained Dolson. ‘This is their first writing assignment of the year.?
‘It’s just to tell them that they can do anything they can set their minds to,? Dolson continued. ‘This is just a real confidence builder. The kids can break all the rules, all the roles, do and be anything they want to be.?
Dolson added that she has been assigning this writing project for several years now, and the students just keep getting more and more creative year after year.
‘I just become amazed by what they come up with,? she said with a smile.
In fact, Dolson enjoyed this year’s essays so much, she decided to share a few of them with the community.
So sit back, relax and enjoy these clips from the tall tales written by some of Oxford’s youngest and most imaginative writers:
n Samantha Perez: ‘I can write neater than any machine or person can… I write so neat that J.K. Rowling hired me to write every Harry Potter book and paid me $1,000 dollars… I write so neat that The Oxford Leader called me and asked if I would write the newspaper for them.?
n Zach Venema: ‘I heard the first cannonball in the Civil War. I’ve clashed with the British during the Revolutionary War. I’ve met Uncle Sam. I helped Betsy Ross sew the American Flag. But there is still one thing I haven’t done. I haven’t finished preschool.?
n Jennifer Flanagan: ‘I can out rock the Rockettes in a heartbeat! I am choreography queen. I have choreographed more dances than Michael Flatley himself… But, I still have to work on getting the garbage can lids on all the way!?
n Daniel Kaatz: ‘I killed Godzilla with a toothpick… I’m so smart that I make Einstein look bad… I’m such a good writer that this is one of the smallest things I ever wrote.?
n Emilie DeFrain: ‘I dug the Grand Canyon with a spoon and three tooth picks… I wrote a bestselling novel while scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef… I always tell the truth and never lie. I went through college in less than a year and achieved three advanced degrees. In my spare time, I invented a time machine using only a cardboard paper towel tube, three paper clips, a piece of fuzz and two sticks of chewing gum.?
n Payton June: ‘I went to elementary school with George Washington. I went to middle school with Ben Franklin. I went to high school with Bill Clinton. I went to college with George Bush.?
n Ken Coffman: ‘I’m the one who was in Kindergarten with the President of the United States of America. I flew a stealth fighter jet in ‘World War I? and also in operation ‘Desert Storm.??
n Mark Schonfeld: ‘One day I was so bored my head turned into a piece of plywood… Then I had an idea… I could play with my Legos. I had a lot of time. I built the whole statue of liberty. I built the Empire State Building. I built another Empire State Building for King Kong to line in. King Kong invited Godzilla, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the Phantom of the Opera to live with him.?
n Daniel Strzelecki: ‘I invented a remote control to stop Mother Nature’s wrath in her tracks. I devised a way for vehicles to run without gasoline or solar power. I also thought of the Jetback Tennis shoes, that are now called the See U Later shoes. To make human and animal lives easier I created the one and only communication device called the AHCS.
n Emily Simpson: ‘I am the one who invented the planet Pluto and I made Cuba with a cube. I am the only one who has visited Neptune.?
n Sarah Fortier: ‘I can swing from the Statue of Liberty to the Leaning Tower of Piza. I can do back flips from the top of the Empire State Building and land perfect. If I spin around I fly into the air like a helicopter. I can also catch a fish that is 20 feet long and 20 feet wide.?
n Greg Daniels: ‘I surf the web on a three foot snowboard. I once had to wrestle a Sabertooth for my left arm back. I discovered Atlantis, Diamonds and television… I own the Parker Brothers board games company, even though my name isn’t Parker.?
n Rikki Mangone: ‘My name is Rikki W. Bush, and I am your president of the United States. I swim the whole Nile River every day just for fun. My hobbies are wrestling crocodiles, swimming with the sharks, winning a gold medal in the Olympics just to name a few. My face is carved in Mount Rushmore.?