In Ms. Jorgensen’s class you drink whiskey. The first day of class is the vulnerable chance you’re giving yourself to experience her zeal. It’s the first shot. Except nobody likes the first shot. It burns and it hurts and you question taking another sip...but for some reason you do.
Sitting in my desk, on the second day of class, Ms. J gave us a scenario. “Write an essay about poetry...Any type.” She called on people randomly in the room to ask what they would choose their for topics. They listed: Dr. Suess, Shakespeare, short poems, or even poems that rhyme, but as we ran out of ideas she continued to tell us about how she was in this scenario once.
In college, she sat in a lecture hall and was told to write an essay about poetry. Of course, she responded to her professor with, “Well…I’m going to write about how poetry is like a shot of whiskey. The first time you read it it’s awful. Then you read it again and it’s a little smoother. Once more and you feel something from it. Finally, you are drunk off the idea of this poem and it’s amazing–the best poem ever.” The professor was astounded with the idea. It was creative. It was new. It was enthusiastic.

At the bottom of our writing assignments, Ms. J writes, “Where’s your whiskey?!” Meaning, where is your creativity? Where is your innovation? Where is your enthusiasm? Ms. Jorgensen brings that energy–that whiskey–to class.
The first day you wonder why you signed up for class, but then you’re drunk off the idea of going and it’s amazing–the best class ever.

Poems, stories, and essays leak from the end of your pencil to create brilliant ideas. Smiles widen on bright, golden cheeks. And seventeen year old kids get to experience the lovely zeal of Ms. Elizabeth Jorgensen.