March 2, 2010:
Today is Dr. Seuss’s birthday! What a wonderful pioneer in modern day children’s literature. To honor the day, the entire school at Gold Hill Elementary School in Fort Mill, SC wore their pajamas to school and invited guest readers in to read a variety of wonderful books. There was even a rocking reading section just off of the main office, for guests and students alike to gather around a rocking chair and listen to story after story. Everywhere you turned the emphasis of the day was evident and students were beaming.
However, I had my work cut out for me.
“Do you write in Word?”
“When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?”
“How long does it take to publish a book?”
These were just a few of the anxious questions coming from Ms. William's fourth graders.
I have enjoyed reading to children for the past thirty years or so but today was a first for me. My invitation was not just for reading, Ms. William's bright-eyed bunch wanted to meet a “real life author.” Wow, I guess that’s me! Cool!
I was so excited to share with the children and demonstrate the writing and illustration process, I was also looking forward to showing the book and promoting some good discussion.
In preparation for today, I perfected...well, no... more like created a Powerpoint presentation. It is not an easy task to keep up with modern technology, but give me a day or three...or four...and it can be done! And who knew that you can plug in a little “clicker” which makes the Powerpoint presentation seem professional, not to mention fun. Not a bad day for a rookie.
However, the one thing I could not prepare for was the weather and in South Carolina the mere mention of the word "snow" can cause an all out panic. It is not uncommon for school to be cancelled at a moment's notice, but so far, my appearance was still on, so I zipped into the snowy school lot and hurried in.
Upon arriving in the main office I was greeted by two of the most precious little girls who were wearing their pajamas and carrying stuffed animals. They were also proudly hosting a sign, the kind that you might see in an airport, with the name “Mrs. Zimmer” written brightly on it. Yep, I must have found the right place. I immediately felt welcomed and comfortable among the cheery smiles and welcoming décor.
When we arrived at Ms. William's room, another surprise, a huge pink poster reading, “Welcome Mrs. Zimmer” greeted me. Holy smokes, what a sweet bunch they were, spoiling me rotten and I hadn’t done a thing!
I admitted to them that they were my guinea pigs as this was my first presentation as an author. The children were engaged and had insightful questions. I couldn’t have asked for a more attentive audience.
The presentation went well and I predict that the “clicker” will probably become one of my favorite things in 2010.
Tonight I sit and reflect on the wonderful experience and would like to offer a bit of thanks to Tracy Imler for the referral, Ms. Williams for the invitation and to Dr. Seuss for giving way to the occasion and the inspiration.
