The Ever Elusive Theme

 Why do we read? I ask this question to my 8^th graders at the beginning of every year. The answers always vary from person to person, and from year to year. But essentially, the following are always the reasons given:

·         Because I like living through another person’s eyes

·         Because it’s fun

·         It helps you learn vocabulary

·         It teaches you about the world

·         It lets you see other cultures

·         It’s like a movie in your head

·         Because it takes me out of my life for as long as I need it

·         It makes me a better writer

·         It teaches you about life

I want to take a moment to talk about that last one. Life. There certainly many things to learn about it. Every day I am learning about how to deal with the twists and turns it deals. And even at this point, when I feel like I should pretty much have a handle on things, something happens and I find myself saying, “What the heck?” “What am I supposed to DO with this?”

Life. The commercials stated we could be a winner at the game of Life. I’m still waiting. And my car is getting emptier, not fuller. Those who’ve played the game, totally know what I’m talking about. But why are you talking board games, Carey? What in the world does this have to do with why we read?

Because for me, and really for most people, I think why we read is because at the deepest level, we want to know that we’re not alone. And that there is hope. Because if some klutzy, normal, boring looking girl can snag a hot, sparkly vampire, then there is hope for us. If some boy who lives in a closet under the stairs can become a wizard that saves all of us muggles from the perils of the dark forces, then we, too, can overcome our obstacles, however brooding they may seem. At the heart of all books, all narratives really, be they memoirs or fiction, is the story of us. The human experience.

And we want, no we NEED to know that we are not alone in this. And that others have been there or have it far worse. Not to mention that these themes span across not only continents, but centuries. It is refreshing to know that while we pine and weep over love lost or the one that got away, or the one we hope is THE ONE, Jane Austen was feeling that same way. As was Fitzgerald. As was Shakespeare.

So, when writing it is important to keep your story, your characters, your scenes in check. But don’t forget the theme. It’s why your writing matters. It’s the whole point. If yours has no point, then why would we want to read it? How am I, as a reader, going to connect to it if there is nothing worth connecting to?

At the end of reading your novel, readers should be able to sit down and analyze character choices, and how what they decided led to the final outcome. But to really dig in, past the skin into the meat, the sinewy goodness that makes your novel satisfying to bite on, we need to know why those choices matter. And how those choices relate to our decisions.

So when teaching my students theme (which is HARD to do by the way), I ask them this:

What does the reader learn about life?

What does the reader learn about the world?

What does the reader learn about themselves or others?

These are the themes. If your novel does not answer one of these, you may be missing something.

Another good checkpoint. Ask yourself the following of your novel:

Who? (main character)

Wants What? (motivation)

But? (what gets in the way?)

So? (what do they have to do to solve the problem?)

Then? (what is the falling action, consequence, resolution?)

This teaches that? (THEME)

This should ensure that a) you have a solid plot and b)your novel has a theme.

I have compiled my own list of the most universal themes I have seen in my years of teaching and reading. Some are trite. Some are cliché. But you gotta start somewhere. See if any of these would work for yours.

·         Love conquers all.

·         Friendship means truly being there for another.

·         There is more to people than appearances.

·         Ugliness comes from actions, not looks.

·         Love makes us do crazy things.

·         Love is worth sacrifice.

·         Through adversity, we learn who we are.

·         Death is a part of life.

·         You can’t have friends if you don’t act like a friend.

·         You should always stand up for yourself.

·         Nothing worth having is ever easy.

·         All actions have consequences.

·         You have to find your own happiness.

·         Don’t be afraid to try new things.

·         Believe in yourself.

·         Be happy with what you have.

·         Courage is doing what’s right, even when it’s hard.

·         Love can be shown in many different ways.

·         Jealousy will destroy.

·         Appreciate what you already have.

·         Don’t give up on your dreams.

·         Sometimes what you’re searching for is in your own backyard.

·         The only one you can rely on is yourself.

·         Growing up means giving up on fantasy.

·         Your identity lies within yourself, not anyone else.

·         Sometimes everyone feels out of place.

·         Freedom is gained by imagination.

·         With determination, one could accomplish anything.

·         Sometimes we are the strongest when we remain quiet.

·         Accept that things change.

·         Most people have an inner strength, only not all use it.

·         Don’t let anyone hold you back from what you want.

·         Love can be shown in many different ways.

·         No one is stronger than nature.

·         Identity is determined by society.

·         Enjoy life now, because we all die soon.

·         By the time we understand life, there is too little left to live.

·         Live in the present.

·         Family comes first.

·         Family is who you love, not who you are related to.

·         In life, there must be balance.

·         To be mature, you must be responsible.

·         The choices you make determine the person you are.

·         Finish what you started.

·         Not everything is what it seems

·         Reliance on technology makes us lazy.

·         With age comes wisdom.

·         Having “things” won’t make you happy.

·         Whatever has been done, cannot be undone.

This list is not by any means all there is. This is just my list I have used. If you have any others to share, please post in comments! J thanks! And carpe diem.

 

Eleven

So the sweet and wonderful Jake Bonsignore nominated me for the Liebster Award. Thanks, Jake. You are awesome. It's nice to be thought about. So, I followed the directions and here I am. 

11 facts. 

11 questions with 11 answers. 

11 more nominations. 

11 new questions.

So, here is how this award works:

-       I list 11 random facts about myself

-       I will answer the 11 questions asked of me by the person who nominated me.

-       I will then nominate 11 others for the award and pose them 11 questions to answer when they respond.

-       If you are nominated, your name and blog link will appear at the bottom of this post, along with your questions. Follow the same format; paste the award badge to your blog, give us 11 random facts about yourself, answer my 11 questions, and choose your 11 nominees. However, you cannot nominate the blog who nominated you.

II random Facts:

1. I'm a Cali girl, born and raised. Orange County. Laguna. I miss the beach.

2. I've gone through the windshield of my car in an accident. Spent 4 hours in the ER as the nurse used tweezers to pick out tiny shards of glass.

3. I like chocolate. I like peanut butter. I do not like them together. I know…this is weird. Peanut butter is a STAND ALONE people. It needs nothing else. 

4. I also don’t like peanut butter and jelly. Blech.

5. I get bored with my hair, so I am always changing it. Coloring it, cutting it, bangs, no bangs, long, short. I keep my hairdresser busy.

6. I think about things. A lot. Deeply. To the point where sometimes it can get overwhelming.

7. I am a bit of a rebel. If someone says I can't do something, I need to do it.

8. I love backgammon.And air hockey. And video games. I am kinda nerdy like that.

9. I named my guitar Phoebe. I can also play Smelly Cat.

10. I snort when I laugh hard. I snorted three times yesterday. It's quite embarrassing.

11. I would love to go to a Comic Con someday. I wouldn't dress up or anything cray cray like that, but I'd totally go. 

The Questions to Answer

1. What is your favorite literary genre and novel? 

This is tough because I really don't have just one. It depends on my mood. I love a good science fiction book, both YA and adult. But chick lit is my go to for a fun, take me out of my own head, kind of read. I also love pretty much all YA, but especially the ones with swoonworthy guys. 

2. What is your favorite part of the writing process?

I think the feeling you get when you start something and you're really excited about it is my favorite. It's like meeting a new person, you can't wait to find out everything about them. You want to experience life from their eyes. And building their background is fun too. 

3. Do you prefer books in print or e-book? Why?

Books. Always real books. There is something about the feel of the pages, the smell of ink, the sound of the turn of a page…it cannot be replaced. Ever. 

4. What are your two most favored hobbies, aside from writing?

I love to cook, especially new recipes. I also love music. I listen to everything. I'm pretty sure my life has a soundtrack. Music is a big part of my life, I couldn’t live without it. I also love playing my guitar, but I am still not that great at it. 

5. Who or what is your biggest source of inspiration?

Honestly, it is not a person. Life. That's my greatest inspiration. I see stories everywhere. Everyone's life is a story with moments of greatness and moments of sadness, first kisses, death, birth, everything. This big, beautiful world inspires me every day. I am blessed to be a part of it all. 

6. Have you ever gone to a Writer’s Convention?

No, but I plan to this summer. Hopefully with a couple of my writer friends. 

7. Do you like it when books are made into other forms of media (e.g., movies, games, etc.)?

I like movies from books, just to see what they can do with them. But most movies let me down. They are rarely as good as the books. But I guess that is to be expected. Books are about the experience, not just the world and characters created.

8. What is the quote or mantra you favor the most or try to live by?

There are two.

When life hands you lemons, look at life and say, "Yeah, I like lemons. What else ya got?"

Don't tell me what I can't do.

9. Cats or Dogs?

Both. I have always been a dog person. Until I got cats. Now I could not see myself without them.

10. What is your favorite sport to watch and/or play?

I love basketball and hockey. I don't play sports. I am completely uncoordinated. I'd make a fool of myself. 

11. What would you like to study more or write about (given no time or expense restrictions)?

I would love to write a science fiction, but I would need to delve into a lot to write about something that hasn’t been written yet. Also, I think a historical fiction taking place in the Roaring 20's would be awesome. 

My Eleven for the Next Eleven

1. What is your favorite book ever?

2. If you could meet any author, dead or alive, who would it be? (mine is totally Ray Bradbury)

3. If you could have a writing retreat, a place to go where you could just write in solitude, where would it be? (anywhere in the world)

4. If/When you are best seller, what would be the first thing you'd do the day you found out you were number one?

5. What is your quote or mantra in life?

6. Who is your hero?

7. What book that hasn’t been written would you love to write?

8. What is your biggest inspiration?

9. What is your biggest fear?

10. What is your biggest hope?

11. If your life was a book, what would the title be?

The Next Eleven

Beau Barnett

Megan Orsini

Nicole Tersigni

Julie Hutchings

Josh Hewitt

Rob Kristoffersen

Beth Brodie

Ksenia Anske

Tara Allen

Amanda Aszman

Megan Paasch

So, that's it. Answer and tag others. It's fun. Do it. All the cool kids are. If you don't bad things will happen. Okay, not really. Do it if you want. If not, I won't hold it against you. This time.

Tagged!

So, I was tagged by the wonderful Darci Cole (who makes awesome carved wands by the way) in a blog hop. Since I have already discussed my WIP, I thought I would take the opportunity to talk about my current manuscript I have been hocking. It is my heart and soul in 85k words.

Enjoy.


What is the working title of your book?

The Princess Paradox

Where did the idea come from for the book?

About three or four years ago, I watched my daughter go through an "everything princesses" phase. She was so enamored by these stories and the romance of it all, I began to wonder if society wasn't somehow doing the future women of the world some kind of atrocious wrong. After all, how would any man, or any romance even, ever live up to the fairy tale? I thought about every book that I have loved, and how they all seemed to have one thing in common. That every story should end with the happy ever after, and most of the time, that meant love.

Also, I read and loved Emily Giffen's Something Borrowed and I realized that I loved the idea that as a reader, I was totally rooting for this girl who was totally after her best friend's fiancé. I thought that this was a challenge…to create a strong heroine who didn't necessarily make good choices. One who was always letting the wants of others supersede her own. And that ultimately, this would lead her to her own demise. Thing is…at the end of my book, I wanted the reader, the future women of America like my daughter, to understand that the reason we to fall in love with these princesses is not because of the romance…not because getting the guy is important, but because the journey to finding themselves is the real treasure. Being honest with yourself, and going against the grain…that was the real story of the princess.

So with that, I followed the exact story-line of the traditional princess fairy tale, then gave it a bit of a twist, making sure to highlight each fairy tale trope and cliché, and drop in the unexpected.

What genre does your book fall under?

Commercial Women's Fiction a.k.a. Chick lit.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I had this down before I ever began writing, although it would be the younger versions.
My apparent doppelganger (or so I've been told on more than one occasion)

America Ferrera as Nora Roseberry

Jason Lewis as Aidan O'Neill

Jared Leto as Finn O'Neill

 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Jaded by fairy tales, twenty-five-year-old Nora Roseberry's surprised to find herself caught between Prince Charming and Prince-Damn-He's-Charming, and when she does, she's unsure if she should stick to the story or change her fairy tale ending.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

I really want an agent for this. I have been querying for about 5 months total.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

This took me about 3 and a half years to complete. There were times I wanted to give up. Times I wasn't sure where the story was going next. But ultimately, I couldn’t not finish it. So after about a year of totally abandoning it, I went back and wrote furiously. It has changed a lot since then, and been through a dozen CPs and betas, but it is finally where I think it has to be.

If I have to self pub, then I will. I just want it out there, for others to read.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I see it as a mix between Something Borrowed by Emily Giffen and Can You Keep A Secret by Sophie Kinsella. My very first reader actually said it has the humor of Sophie Kinsella with the writing style more reminiscent of Emily Giffen. I could have kissed her.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

My daughter for one. Also, a fellow colleague who happened to be a reading specialist for my school. She taught me to trust my instincts as a teacher and validated me. She inspired me to use my background in sociology to teach reading. Most teachers teach the specifics of teaching. That is what we are taught to do. And I struggled with it. When I started teaching the WHY of reading, the importance not because of the literary devices or plot or symbolism, but the WHY IT MATTERS of reading, that is when I began to love what I do. By doing this first, then analyzing how the author managed to get us there, that is when I really started to understand books. It's when I started thinking, I can do this. By taking a real critical lens at text, I was able to understand style, structure, purpose, and the beauty of books. I credit Alisa for that. If I ever get pubbed, she will be the first on my acknowledgment page.


What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

It's funny, follows the traditional fairy tale arc, but begins with commentaries on all things princess. It is the critical piece…and the one that sets it apart from any book I have seen. Plus…there's a love triangle. Which apparently has my betas fighting over Team Aidan or Team Finn. Or as one reader put it, Team WTF? ;)

And just because I thought it would be cool…I have listed my Princess Paradox playlist:

Payphone         Maroon Five
I Run To You Lady Antebellum
I Need You Now Lady Antebellum
Say Hey (I Love You) Spearhead
Broken Lifehouse
Whatever It Takes Lifehouse
I Don't Wanna Be Gavin DeGraw
Beautiful Disaster Jon McLaughlin
Fallin For You Colbie Caillait
Shattered         O.A.R.
Somewhere Only We Know  Keane
Apologize         One Republic
Stop and Stare One Republic
Rhythm of Love Plain White T's
Secrets One Republic
Breakeven         The Script
If You Ever Come Back The Script
Marry Me          Train
I Won't Give Up Jason Mraz

And now I need to tag 5 more authors. So here goes...

Beau Barnett
Megan Paasch
Trisha Schmidt
Jason Cantrell
Kai Kiriyama

My New Year's Promises

So, I gave you my 2012 wrap up and those were super exciting. (insert laugh) 

So, today is a new day, tomorrow is a new year, so now I give you…my New Year's Promises. 

These are not resolutions, per se, but promises to myself, for myself, by myself. Why promises and not resolutions? Well, for one, I like to mix it up. Dare anyone ever call me a follower. I am not. I march to my own beat. Always have, always will. People either love me, or ignore me. Either is fine with me. I will never be just like anyone else. And why should I? Or anyone for that matter?

I digress…the definition of resolution is the act of analyzing a complex notion into simpler ones, answering, or solving. There are other sure, like mathematical resolutions, literary resolutions, scientific resolutions, and even political resolutions. My point is, I am not breaking anything into simpler parts. Oh no. I am instead trying to alter parts or add parts to the already existing or broken parts. I will not be resolving anything this year. 

I will promise. Promise is defined as a declaration that one will do or refrain from doing something specified. Yes. This. Promises are something intimate and binding. They are things that, if done, can change a life. So this is what I will do. I owe myself this much. I will make myself promises for the coming year. 

And I am writing them here, posting for all to see, so you all (as well as me) can hold me accountable. If you see me violating or breaking my promises, please call me on it. I mean it. That's what friends and fellow humans do. They lend a hand. 

Here we go, in no particular order.


• I will finish my WIP and write a second Women's Fiction manuscript.
• I will continue to query the hell out of Princess Paradox.
• I will write every day…okay, maybe 5 out of 7 days. Even if it is a paragraph.
• I will attend one writer's conference.
• I will not be afraid of agents. They are people too.
• I will visit at least 3 of the writer friends I have made.
• I will not compare myself to other writers or other published books.
• I will blog more.
• I will read at least one book for fun a month. (I read a lot as a teacher already)
• I will be the best damn teacher I can be. Those kids need me, and I need them. And on the days where I want to come home and cry, I will remember why I became a teacher in the first place.
• I will try to believe in myself more.
• I will start running again until I get to the point where I can run 3-4 miles regularly (like I used to)
• I will embrace my new found independence without fear and try to risk more.
• I will put my heart out there, even if it means it gets broken.
• I will make the amount of time I spend with my daughter quality time.
• I will laugh more.
• I will continue to love hard. Because otherwise, what's the point?
• I will try not to obsess over things I cannot control.
• I will believe that life has a way of working out, things may not turn out how you planned, but there is a reason for it.
• I will look at rejection as a new opportunity.
• I will do random acts of kindness for strangers at least once a week.
• I will call my dad more.
• I will call my friends more.
• I will spend more time doing things for me.
• I will explore my world more.
• I will do something that scares me at least once a month. 
• I will try to give myself a break. (thanks Jules!)
• I will not give up if I do not get an agent.
• I will have faith that this amazing thing that I have WILL work out. 
• I will pray more and doubt less.

So, that's all. Not much. I have a lot of work to do this next year…but everything is possible, right?

Happy New Year to all of you. May it be blessed with all the wonders and joy this world can bring. Love to you.

So, in the words of Semisonic:

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.

Out with the old...

 So, it has been a while since my last blog. I am so sorry. But it has been a crazy time. If you would have asked me this time last year, what I would be doing, I probably would have said, "Nothing. Just the same old, same old."

Ohhhhh, last year's Carey. You were sooooo wrong. So very very wrong.

So the year in review:

I finished my MS, The Princess Paradox. It took 3 years in the making, and I almost quit a few times. But fortunately, some wonderful students I had gave me the push to get it done. I will forever be indebted to my first beta readers…Jenny, Kennedy, Skye, Brittney, and Mary. To hear them squeal in excitement was amazing. Each day, I would bring in a chapter for them to read. They would sit side by side during independent reading and, like an assembly line, they would read it page by page, gasping and "awwwww"ing at all the appropriate times. I love those girls.

I queried the heck out of my MS, joined some contests and that led me to the next great moment of my life. Don't laugh. Really. Here goes…I joined Twitter. Okay…I will wait for the laughter to cease. Are you done? Okay.

It started out as a way to stalk a few slush pile readers when I joined Brenda Drake's Pitch Madness. I watched the tweets of lovelies: Shelley Waters, Dee Romito, Summer Heacock, Stephanie Diaz, and so many others. Boy was I surprised and flattered as all get out that one Miss Summer and one Miss Dee had been secretly stalking ME! We became fast friends and now I could not imagine my life without them. That evolved into a twitterfest which has me now at over 400 followers as well as some of the best friends anyone could ask for. I can't believe such a small thing like Twitter can make things of this magnitude happen. Not only do I tweet and email with many of these people, I actually chat on the phone and have plans to meet them. IN REAL LIFE. I have to also shout out to my twinsie Erica Chapman who's blog was the host to my PitchMadness entry. I now love her and we chat quite often. 

Because fellow writers just "get" each other. It's nice to know that if I ever need a CP or Beta reader, all I have to do is call upon my fellow writers and it will happen like BOOM! If you have yet to join this community of writers, you must. They lift me up, encourage me, make me laugh, and are there for me whenever I call. Oh...and follow me. Because I'm cool like that. 

My mom inherited a small two bedroom place in Berkeley, so another thing I got to do was visit my MS's main character, Nora's hometown of San Francisco. I even saw and took pictures of the spot where her coffee shop was and saw the address I used for her house. So, that was cool. Plus, I really fell in love with San Francisco. Left my heart there, actually. Okay…I didn't, that was just for comedic effect.

I began no less than 2 new WIP. 

• One, titled The Thief, I have tabled for a bit, but I love the feel of it. I have the outline and the first 3 chapters or so written. It's kind of a YA contemporary romance, but with definite thriller bits. Laryn, my MC is a cat burglar along with her father. When they move to the wealthy Newport Beach area, she enrolls in school to find her next gig. She decides her next target is the home of the very popular and very rich football hero. Too bad she gets caught in the middle of a robbery. But he has secrets of his own he wants kept. And Laryn has unintentionally discovered them. So they vow to protect each other's secrets. But what about their hearts?

• The other WIP is Speechless. A YA Fairy Tale retell of The Little Mermaid. I am currently 43 k into that one. I love it. For more info, see my previous post in which I was tagged.

I now have two kitties. So there's that.

I was Maid of Honor at my one of my best friend's weddings and hung out with her in Colorado this summer. That was fun! Never been to Denver. It was Aurora, actually. As in THE AURORA. I saw the theater where that tragedy happened. And the flowers and support. 

I also went on a cruise to Alaska.

Also, here's a big one not many people know but will soon...I am recently single. A single mom. Yep...I know guys will be lining up. Because they love women with kids. (insert sarcasm here) Especially when the daughter is a smart, sassy, and miss independent-will-tell-you-what-exactly-she-thinks-about-everything-whether-you-want-her-to-or-not. I guess if a guy can handle that plus me, he's a keeper. 

So, that's it. My year in review. I don't yet know what is on the road in front of me. As Robert Frost so eloquently put it:

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

 Pretty exciting, huh? J

My New Year's Resolutions post will be coming soon. 

How was your year?

This I Believe

I was planning for an observation in my classroom today. And so naturally, looking through things, I got sidetracked. Story of my life. Anyway, as I rummaged around, I found this little ditty. Well, it's not actually a ditty. Not even about Jack and Diane.

It is an example paper I wrote, a narrative to use as an example for my students. As I reread it, I realized...I need to post this. It's a great little insight to who I am, my experiences as a kid, and what I firmly believe. If you have not yet visited the This I Believe website, shame on you. Go. Read. Be inspired. Write your own.

Here is my This I Believe Paper.

Turning on the Light

I was an awkward twelve year old. I had dark brown unruly hair, thick glasses, and was a bit on the pudgy side. All this and a pair of braces too. With head gear no less. I was a normal tween with hopes and dreams. For example, would Javier ever notice me? Will I get to go a concert with my friends? Is my friend mad at me? I also had one nagging question always in the back of my mind. Will people like me? This is the question that haunted me and governed over everything I did in middle school.  

You see, one thing I understand about all people, is that whether or not they will admit it, it is a universal truth that all humans want to be loved and accepted and to know that they are normal. Everything that we do is to help us gain acceptance. Whether we want to become a famous novelist, or a doctor, or a musician or a cosmetologist; we all want to be liked and appreciated. 

I remember what it was like to walk the halls of middle school. I always was wondering who was saying what about me, if the laughing I heard was at my expense, or if I was going to be teased. I wasn’t pretty or good at sports, or a top student. I was ordinary. Nothing special. Except in Mr. Akamine’s class. 

Mr. Akamine taught choir. I was an alto. I hated it. I wanted to be a soprano because they always got the melody of the song. The alto always sounded boring. It reminded me of a whale’s bellow. Sometimes, Mr. Akamine had this habit of calling on random people to come up to the front and sing on the microphone. I remember trembling at the thought of going up there. 

And then one day it happened. He called on me. I couldn’t refuse. There I stood, feeling naked and embarrassed, ready to be laughed at. Another joke people could make fun of.

I took a deep breath and began singing the lyrics to Love Lift Us Up Where We Belong, his favorite. I sat there singing for what seemed to be ages. When I finished, I remember it being so quiet. Mr. Akamine looked at me and smiled. “You have a beautiful voice, Carey.” 

I beamed. I was so happy. I looked out at my fellow classmates, and they were so quiet. They began clapping. My face flushed. When I got to my seat, people by me patted me on the back and said things like “good job“, and “way to go“. 

From that point on I became a regular in front of the class. Perhaps that is why I like performing in front of people. That applause was so uplifting. From that day on, I felt like there was one thing I could do…sing. Now, I may not be any Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift, and I did not go on to star in the high school musical or have solos in the concerts, but the one thing Mr. Akamine gave me was a belief in myself. That I was worthwhile. I had talent and most important, he liked my singing, which to my middle school mind meant he liked me. I also got acceptance from my peers. At least for a little while.

I believe a good teacher can do that. A good teacher can give strength to those that need it. A good teacher can see the light in every one of their students and try, and sometimes succeed, to let that light shine. A good teacher gets branded in the hearts and minds of those they teach. I can’t recall the teachers who made me miss my bus after school. Or the ones that gave me detention or Saturday school. I have no recollection of my kindergarten teacher or my fifth grade teacher. The ones that are engrained in my mind, Mr. Akamine, Mr. Sisman, Mr. McCormick, are the ones who saw me not as a student, but as someone who offered something special to the world. These are the ones that shaped me. 

I believe that every encounter with every individual leaves marks on our soul, and they help us, for better or for worse, become who we are today. I believe each person carries the echoes of all the people that have entered and left their lives. Which is why, at the end of the day, I want all my students to understand that I see the special in them. I see their gifts. And after all…I like each and every one of them.

 

 

So...what do YOU believe? Write it.