05-15-2013, 04:53 AM
From the way you've interacted on the site, getting involved in critique and so forth, people should be thanking you 
It's especially rare for school-age folk to want to participate in this kind of workshop environment -- just being prepared to take criticism is a huge step, and one some people in middle-age and beyond never manage to make it to. Having someone like a teacher want to enter you in a contest is a huge accomplishment. It's validation of all your hard work, which I hope continues for many years to come. Once you start, there's no telling where you'll end up!
It's especially rare for school-age folk to want to participate in this kind of workshop environment -- just being prepared to take criticism is a huge step, and one some people in middle-age and beyond never manage to make it to. Having someone like a teacher want to enter you in a contest is a huge accomplishment. It's validation of all your hard work, which I hope continues for many years to come. Once you start, there's no telling where you'll end up!
It could be worse