Of interest to rainwolf

[velvetpage]

Not that he ever checks his lj these days, but still. I may be of interest to some of you, too.

Back in October, rainwolf came into my class in his really cool gnoll costume, played the part of the wolf in the class production of Les Trois Petits Cochons, and then came back out of costume to talk about his career in science. The class discussion ended up centering around what the students wanted to do for a living. rainwolf found it very sad that one girl said she would probably go back to her country (Kurdistan) and work in an office.

This girl has blossomed this term. She did an excellent speech on Saddam Hussein, which, while it did not win the competition, was nevertheless a very good speech. She wrote a short story that was the best in my class. She took our Readers' Theatre production of Beauty and the Beast and got right into it, adding actions and one or two lines that were not in the script but had her audience in stitches. (That's not easy when they're waiting their turn to present the same play. They were bored until she started reading.)

This past week, she and a few others in my class started asking me about my book. They were very interested to know the kind of details kids always want to know: how long it was, how much time it took to read it, whether it was finished, how much more I intended to write, etc, etc. She was just about the only one to be interested in the process of writing: things like, putting in a note in bold type reminding myself to come back and finish a scene, or putting a blank line reminding myself to come back and name a place or character later, how I decided what came next, what I was going to do after the climax scene to tie it all up.

She asked me today what it would take to become an author as a career. Without dashing her hopes, I told her most authors had to hold down other jobs while writing at least the first few books, as I was doing. I also told her to read and write as much as she possibly could, and to take every opportunity to try new things. Her writing journal has been filling up at about twice the rate of the other kids' journals already.

It's nice to think I really am making a difference in this girl's life. The light has gone on for her. I hope life doesn't snuff it, but even if it does, having felt like this about writing once, she'll recognize it when it happens again. She has a dream now, and I was a part of it.

Comments

[sassy-fae.livejournal.com]

Aww, I certainly hope she aspires higher than an office worker! I remember the thrill of writing in my Creative Writers class in OAC. I would write for pages in a great comfortable environment (the only classroom in the school with insense, a budgie and a toaster) and to this day I think of that class when I pick up one of those single subject ruled notebooks.
I've yet to see that gnoll costume in person. However, whenever I'm on a gnoll killing quest in Warcraft, I think of Patrick and feel bad for them :)

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

So are you developing ways to avoid killing them, or is it a matter of "spare a thought for me?"

My writers' craft class was a very good course, but it wasn't comfortable in any sense of the word. It stretched me, but it also drained me. I didn't write much creative stuff for years after that.

[wggthegnoll.livejournal.com]

I told her most authors had to hold down other jobs while writing at least the first few books, as I was doing.

So here's a question for ya, if you made it successful enough as a writer to make a living at it, would you stop teaching?

[velvetpage.livejournal.com]

In a heartbeat.

Probably, though, I'd keep my hand in with a bit of supply teaching no matter what. I like teaching, but I can do without the high stress levels. On the other hand, the pension is yummy, as are the benefits. So a qualified yes - I'd give up the full-time teaching, and if I were really successful I'd give up everything, but if I were earning enough through writing to replace my teaching salary, I'd probably continue to supply teach.