Dear Mrs. ~name removed~,
Multiple times during the school year you talked to our class about spending too much time on the computers,
specifically playing Minecraft. At the time when trying to respond I found myself unable to speak, as tears rushed to my eyes and my face became flushed from fear of being shut down by you, putting your opinion above mine. I decided to write you this letter because I thought that you might want to know my point of view, without the sobbing and drama.
I'll begin by talking about the biggest thing you were telling us about, how you didn't like how much time we all
spent playing Minecraft. While I don't play the game very often anymore because I've taken an interest in deeper things, I still know why I was upset about your comment. Back then, as you know very well, I hardly did any school work due to a stressful event in my life. I played Minecraft for two reasons. One being that I wanted to express myself in an atmosphere where nobody could tell me that what I was doing was wrong, or wasn't what they wanted. Secondly, I wanted to feel like I was special because I wasn't doing my homework. I wont talk much about the second reason because its pretty clear that it was extremely stupid, but it felt right at the time. Back to reason one. In Minecraft the world goes on forever. You kept telling us that we were 'addicted' which may have been true in some ways, but the way you said the word addicted, it felt like we were at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. I can't speak for the other kids in my class and in other classes, because
I don't know what their opinions were. I can only speak for myself, and I with that I can honestly say I played the game to be me. In that digital world, it was like I was able to get away from my problems, most of which I caused myself, and I was able to express myself in any way that I wanted. I don't really think you understood that, I think you simply saw it as a barrier for homework. Which, as I stated in my second reason, it really was, but back then I had absolutely no way to express myself. I didn't feel like anybody cared about what I did so I just did whatever I wanted. Nobody corrected me until it was much, much to late.
In class when I tried to tell you that it was my only way to express myself, before crying for some reason, you told me that I should 'write.' Little did you know, that I write all the time. Sometimes I upload my writing on a website called DeviantArt, but even there nobody cared. So I stopped putting my work there. I kept it all to myself. I've written stories about children in Africa, about a girl who starved herself because she was bullied, about cats with wings, angels, politics, and sometimes I just wrote formal letters to myself. I never told anyone because no one cared when I did, so I just didn't anymore. You sent Tessa to ask me if I was writing a book. I told her the truth, 'yes.' I am. Many of them, some of which may never be finished and some of which may never be seen by anyone else. However, I also told her that I knew you put her up to it, and she simply hung her head. I knew you did, but you never followed up on it, did you? I figure its because regardless of what you said, you didn't actually care. You also said that I was a good artist but honestly, nobody cares about my art either. I draw, but its for fun. I wish I was good but I'm not, and wishing doesn't get anyone anywhere. All I have is my writing, and actually I've already deleted 90% of it off of my computers.
Another topic you touched on is swearing. You and Mrs. Taft had a blast telling us how terrible it is to swear, but I couldn't help thinking to myself while you were talking that there was no way that both of you had gone your entire lives without ever once uttering a single swear. Swearing. Its something most people do. Some think its bad, others don't care, and others still thinks its something everybody does. I'm in the middle, between not caring and thinking its something that
all people do. Maybe its bad, maybe it isn't but I don't really think that humans will ever figure that out. I for one, swear all the time. When I told you in class that anything I said on the computer I would honestly say to my friends in real life, it was true. I can only assume you had noticed that even during the day, while in school, while in the halls kids would tell each other dirty jokes and swear in general conversation. Its normal for us, whether or not its normal for you was and is really none of our concern. Swearing is something we do, and its probably not anything that you or anyone else can stop because by now its pretty much part of our DNA.
I hope this helped you understand my point of view a little. Whether or not you choose to care is up to you. It wont really effect me either way because I'm pretty much used to it by now... Its funny, I still cried writing this. Maybe I'm just too emotional. Oh well, like swearing maybes its just in my DNA

Yours in Christ,
~ME~