In praise of Teachers

Somehow in the post family illness shambles this draft post never made it to the real world. But it's an important one to me so I am going to post it now, regardless of how untimely it is!

World Teachers Day is the 5th October - everywhere in the world except Australia. Here that date falls in the school holidays so we celebrate our appreciation for the work of teachers on 28th October.
I have long been an admirer of the teaching profession. When I was younger I considered it as a career but realised I didn't have the right skills. So it is a wonderful bonus for me as an author that I have the opportunity to visit schools and 'pseudo teach'.

Teachers can change lives. Whenever a group of my friends gather and the subjects of school (such a long time ago!) comes up, everyone has a story to tell about a teacher that made a big impression.

Cartoon courtesy of http://www.classroommanagementonline.com/

I am personally indebted to a number of teachers - as a parent and an author and a student. I was a quiet, bookish and academic kid in a home where such qualities were not valued. My teachers supported my interests and gave me a sense of self-esteem. There was Miss Mudford, my primary school principal who seemed so old to me then, but is now in her twilight years - and still remembered to ask after me at the recent reunion I couldn't attend. My high school Maths teacher of four years was a man I much admired and when I accidentally ran in to him a few years ago (amazing co-incidence, I didn't go to school anywhere near where I live now), I found my childhood opinion was well-formed. We are now friends.

English was my favourite subject and the two teachers who influenced me most, encouraging me to indulge my passion for reading and convincing me to write, are acknowledged in my first published work. I still exchange emails and letters with one of them. It was the school librarian who taught me Ancient History and introduced me to historical novels.

As a parent, teachers are an important part of my children's life. My recent novel, Samurai Kids 7: Golden Bat is dedicated to three very special teachers - they taught my children, encouraged me as an author and became valued friends. The inscription says For Jane, Kerrie and Margaret. Teachers are golden.

And they are. Shining lights.

Book Week Wrap Up

Book Week was a blast. Exciting, exhilirating, exhausting and downright dangerous. A decision to stay in Sydney overnight (to avoid six hours of travelling on each of the first two days of a busy seven day schedule) literally kick-started the great toe trauma. Which to cut a long story short (my editor would be pleased to hear I am learning to do that!) is basically a warning - do not ignore a badly stubbed toe and continue Bookweeking without even looking or you will discover how big a toe can swell, how many colours it can go and how it can hurt more than you ever imagined.

My last visit had to be cancelled and the ever patient Warrawee PS (and their wonderful librarian Bronwen) enthusiastially welcomed me a few weeks later than expected. I have to admit having surived the whirlwind Book Week proper, as I dragged myself out of bed at 5am for the three hour haul up the train line, I wondered: why am I doing this? Standing in front of all those smiling faces later in the morning and I knew my answer. Because it is fun. Because the kids. Because I love being a children's author. And I secretly wish I was a teacher librarian.

And because there are such wonderful rewards. Like this one . During question time a Warrawee Year 5 boy asked me what book I was most proud of. I started to tell how Shaolin Tiger is my favourite book then realised that wasn't the question. The book I am most pproud of is Jaguar Warrior. It took far more effort and rewrites than any other. Twice I put it aside to write more Samurai Kids books. Each time I came back to it I had to work hard to reimmerse myself. And by the time I finished enough time had transpired that I was a better writer than the one who had written most of the book. I started again.

Later that same night as I sat down to a major re-engineering of Golden Bat (Samurai Kids 6), I felt tired after a long day and a little overwhelmed by looming deadlines. Then I remembered what I had said earlier in the afternoon - how hard and how long the rewrite had been but how proud I was in the end. Suddenly I felt re-energised. It's a few weeks later and that big rewrite is well underway. I'm of proud of how it is coming together.