In fourth grade, art class was supposed to be simple. We were asked to draw a Christmas tree, and most of my classmates followed the example on the board: neat triangles stacked on top of each other, finished with a star. I did something different.
Growing up in a home where art supplies were as common as kitchen utensils, I had learned to observe details. I drew a tree filled with fine lines for needles, uneven branches, and a shape that leaned slightly, like real trees often do. I was proud of it. When I handed my paper to the teacher, I expected curiosity or maybe a question. Instead, she frowned, held it next to another child’s drawing, and told me it was “wrong.”
She took out her red pen and began marking over my work, reshaping branches, flattening details, and turning my tree into something more familiar and predictable. “Look how the other children drew it,” she said, as if creativity had a single correct form. The room felt suddenly smaller. I wasn’t angry, just confused. I looked around at identical trees lining the walls and wondered why mine wasn’t allowed to exist as it was. The red ink felt heavier than correction; it felt like permission being taken away. Still, I didn’t cry or argue. I simply raised my eyebrows, quietly taking in the moment.
What I said next wasn’t loud or dramatic, but it stayed with me for years. I asked, calmly, “But don’t real trees look different from each other?” The teacher paused, surprised, and the class went quiet. She didn’t answer right away. Eventually, she moved on to the next desk, leaving my paper behind with its mix of pencil and red ink. That moment taught me something school never officially included in its lessons: that standing out can feel uncomfortable, especially when others expect sameness. It also taught me that asking questions, even simple ones, can gently challenge rules that don’t quite make sense.
Years later, I still think about that drawing. Not because it was perfect, but because it represented how I saw the world—full of texture, variation, and quiet individuality. Over time, I learned that creativity doesn’t always fit neatly into boxes, and that approval isn’t the same as truth. The red pen didn’t erase my perspective; it clarified it. Sometimes being told you’re wrong is the first step toward understanding who you are. And sometimes, the most meaningful response isn’t rebellion or silence, but a thoughtful question that reminds others—and yourself—that there is more than one right way to see things.