I spent the day in Roanoke, VA at Forest Park Academy. Sherri Saddler invited me to come and speak to a group of 12th graders about reading and writing.
When I was in high school, I pretty much hated everything about it. If I had a teacher like the ones I met today, I probably would've been sad when I graduated because I had to leave them. Don't get me wrong, I had some great teachers. Mrs. Johnson, I'm looking at you. :)
But the teachers at Forest Park Academy -- the principal and vice principal too -- are simply awesome. Why? Because they want the students to read. And they saw the value in romance novels and contemporary fiction. I had a discussion with some students about one of my favorite authors, Eric Jerome Dickey.
You can tell when kids want to learn and when they have adults stoking that fire. I saw that today. That was an awesome sight.
Giving back is amazing because I really think I met the next New York Times Bestselling author today. I bet she doesn't even know it yet.
And you know what, it didn't hurt my 37-year-old ego a bit when someone mistook me for a student. LOL!
Happy reading.
I was so happy that the students were engaged! I'm very proud of them! As for my administrators, they are the best! When it comes to helping the students, they are very supportive. Thank you so much for traveling to speak with our students!
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