In Praise of School Visits
By Exhibiting Author Chrysa Smith
A writer’s day can be solitary. You sit at your computer, sometimes staring at it blankly like it’s some sort of alien being. Other days, the process is fluid. Your brain is on some endless stream of consciousness and it’s pure magic—words spill out of you through the keyboard. And seeing them on the screen? Well, they look pretty darn good.
While I love to write; the stringing together of just the right words in a rhythmic or at least harmonious way brings me joy, I’m a people person. I’m not the hermit who hasn’t washed her hair all week, changed her clothes or stayed up late nights in search of perfection. I thank God for Zumba, tennis and lunches with friends. I thank God for school visits. They are indeed, the unintended consequences of writing for children—and some of the most fun and memorable moments of my career.
There’s something about being with kids. They’re real. They’re unpretentious little beings. They tell it to you just as it is; like it or not. There’s no room for hurt feelings with them. Luckily for me, most I’ve met like my dog tales; or at least, those who do are the more vocal majority. But more than sharing my stories with them, I share the author process: finding creativity, how to transform ideas onto paper, working with an illustrator, structuring sentences and more. I love this part of my job. Kids are open to new ideas. And they suck up information like a Bounty towel. So it’s a pretty great audience for listening to my advice, but even more importantly to me, I see the little light bulbs go off and I feel good. A sense of accomplishment. I have made a connection with and for them; often a difference. And that feels quite good.
I’m often told during writing workshops how kids want to continue their stories after our time together has come to an end. Others say they want to be an author. And the very driven actually show me writing they’ve already been working on.
While it’s nice for kids to learn from someone in addition to their teachers, when I see students raising their hands, writing even when it’s time to go—or reluctant readers and writers who will find a million reasons not to do this all of a sudden take off on paper, it’s the greatest feeling. Teachers must feel it a thousand times. And I see that while their jobs can be challenging, there’s nothing as rewarding as nudging someone down their next path. And if they can remember one thing from our time together, I’d love to know it somehow. But that’s the thing about teaching—-some results are visible, but the greatest come long after your time with them. But
Chrysa Smith is an indie author of the award-winning picture book Once upon a Poodle and the transitional series The Adventures of the Poodle Posse. A freelance writer for over 20 years, she loves to tell poodles tales based on her own motley crew of poodles in her Bucks County, PA home. Her books can be found on Amazon and through multiple indie bookstores. More on her at: www.wellbredbook.net.
