Through the Eyes of an Author

On January 26 this year I visited two elementary schools in Hartford, CT. These are inner-city schools without the funding for outside programs, and I would venture that none of the students had ever seen a live author before. Visits to poor urban and rural schools rarely cover my gas expense, because the students can’t afford to buy books and I don’t charge for the visits. And while I can’t afford to do this all the time, I get so much gratification seeing the kids’ enthusiasm and spirit. All kids should have access to inspiration, not just those with money.

I received a wonderful surprise in the mail today. The school librarian from Milner Core Academy (thank goodness they still have a librarian!) sent me a care package that contained a lovely note, my very own Milner Core Academy t-shirt, and a small mountain of thank-you letters from the students! She wrote that she spared me the 100+ letters the students turned in, and she chose her favorite sixteen to share with me.

While they won’t pay the bills, thank-you notes from excited kids are the best form of payment! Here are my favorite excerpts from the Milner students:

3rd grader: “…Thank you for playing the bagpipes. It was very funny because my teacher ran out. My teacher ran out because she hates the bagpipes. Don’t take it personally…”

4th grader: “…I enjoyed when you was telling us about how you spent your summer with caterpillars and telling us how they grew. And how they changed colors and how you had a wonderful time with them…”

4th grader: “…I would never want to be an author because when you start writing everybody wants you to write more and it gets tireing…”

5th grader: “…My favorite part was, when you were telling us about the bugs. It was so cool. I love animals, and bugs…”

5th grade girl who disagrees with the student above: “…I wanted to regirgitate when I saw the bugs…”

5th grader: “…Also I am thankful for you coming and telling us about new animals we never knew…”

5th grader: “…When I carried the wonderful sword replica you brought in I felt like I was back in time and I was fighting a battle as a [k]night…”

Thank you, Milner Core for having me! I look forward to coming back to visit in the future, and in the meantime, KEEP ON READING AND WRITING!