An A+ writer long before Potter
Sammy King  |  by www.twincities.com. All rights reserved. 21.07 | 11:13

he said. "We were reading Golding's 'Lord of the Flies,' and the students had done some writing about it.

I wish I had kept her essay about what she would have done on that deserted island and how she would have survived." "I do recall an extensive vocabulary for one so young," he said. "I was also amused by her witty use of informal language in essays (slang, regionalisms, etc.

). She has a good sense of humor." Bloomsbury, the British publisher of Harry Potter, describes Rowling during her Wyedean days in a biography on its Web site: "She was quiet, freckly, short-sighted and not very good at sports.

She even broke her arm playing netball. Her favorite subject by far was English, but she also liked languages." "She was bookish and quiet, and I can only imagine she survived school by using her imagination, as there was a fair amount of daydreaming going on," he said.

Despite the daydreams, Neuschwander said, "she was very diligent about doing things correctly, following directions, that sort of thing." (In other words, she was sort of like Hermione Granger, Potter's studious and responsible sidekick. Rowling was even named "head girl" in her final year at Wyedean.

) After Neuschwander learned in 2000 of his former student's success, he wrote her a letter, offering his congratulations

Dale Neuschwander taught at this school in Sedbury, England, for three months. (SHERRI LAROSE-CHIGLO, Pioneer Press)
and asking if she would pass along writing advice to his latest generation of students. Rowling promptly wrote back to her former teacher, who lives in St.

Joseph, Minn. Her handwritten letter now hangs on the bulletin board in his office at St. Cloud State: "Dear Dale," Rowling wrote.

"One of the most wonderful and unexpected side effects of publication is hearing from people long since vanished from my life. I do indeed remember you and was very touched by your letter. Words of inspiration for your students: "Start by writing what you know (your own feelings, people with whom you are familiar, etc.

). "Most of all: READ! Nothing else will teach you what makes good writing or bad.

" "The building is not like Hogwarts - it's a fairly modern school, but the teachers, some of whom I have stayed in touch with, have their theories about who made it into the book, at least as composites," he said. "There was this Snape prototype who was the head of biology. Alan Rickman, who plays Snape in the movies, looks like this guy, and he even has the same monotone voice.

He was a memorable character, nice to me and the other adults, but not to the students. But now he's retired, and he dresses up as Snape and gives Harry Potter tours." Neuschwander doesn't see himself in the book, though.

"Thank goodness, no," he said. "You won't notice any Americans. Harry is so British.

" Still, the name "Neuschwander" does hide within it a magical accessory from Rowling's books: wand. "Oh, my goodness, I never thought of that," Neuschwander said. The Pioneer Press is pleased to let readers post comments about an article at the end of the article.

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Keywords: Harry Potter, Pioneer Press
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