Last Saturday I had the privilege of launching my new novel at our favorite local bookstore, Harvey’s Tales, in Geneva, Illinois. My first foray into fiction, Caught in the Crossfire evolved from the research I’ve done for this blog. I’ve written often about the pressures teachers are under, the micromanagement and censorship they face in many states. As my frustration continued to rise, a mythical teacher named Claire Peters emerged in my dreams, in the shower, on long car rides, and she urged me to tell her story. I did, and the writing of it became therapeutic. I had no sense of whether anyone else would care. To my surprise, teachers I’d never met, teachers who saw local articles and publicity about the upcoming launch, joined us on Saturday. Although the heat was gruesome, they – and others – stuck it out and talked about the book.

I loved the conversation about our passion for teaching, our concerns for current students and teachers and the struggles they face, the importance of teaching… I could go on! We acknowledged, though, the new challenges that teachers and students, along with parents and administrators, face.

I really loved being a teacher until I didn’t. At the end of my public school career, changes in my school and my role didn’t appeal to me, and I was wise enough to resign and lucky enough to be able to resign. But I continued in education in multiple ways because it is who I am at the very core. These women agreed. We’re all relieved not to be dealing with the current challenges, and those very challenges are far worse in states like Texas and Florida. Writing about a mythical teacher’s struggles in Texas proved cathartic for me, and I hope this story sparks lots of conversation among educators and others alike.

I find solace in Rachel Jorgenson’s August 2023 Edutopia post, “Why I Keep Teaching.” (edutopia.org) She acknowledges that the “teaching profession has rarely felt more bleak” yet insists that the work of teachers matters. She lists four reasons:

Every time I show up for work, a student might change my life for the better.My work has invisible ripple effectsMy head and my heart are engaged every dayMy work is an investment in a brighter future

Her conclusion expresses my views on teaching better than I ever could: “Our work has an impact, whether we see it or not. We may be planting seeds that don’t come to fruition until decades later. Showing up for students with love, empathy, kindness, and selflessness makes a tremendous impact, whether or not we know it.”

I’ve been one of the lucky ones. I’ve had students reach out to me years later, showing me I mattered to them.

I’ve often likened teaching to the title of a favorite children’s book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. When it’s going well, there’s nothing like it: seeing a student make a discovery and develop understanding is a gift to both the student and the teacher, but sometimes we all have “terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day[s].” Rachel Jorgensen and the teachers I met at my book launch remind me that we must make the good days count and make the others worth it.

Note: Caught in the Crossfire is available from Harvey’s Tales (https://harveystales.com/) and directly from the author or Amazon. In mid-July it will be available at bookstores in six states, including Powell’s Books in Portland, Oregon, and Barnes & Noble in New York City and Salt Lake City.