It is interesting to know the inspiration behind the book
that authors write. Some authors are inspired by an event in their lives or by
something they’ve read in a newspaper. Others have dreams that motivate a new
story. In my case, it was personal. I had a heartrending experience that I
never forgot. This experience was the inspiration for my award winning romance
novel, Melinda and the Wild West.
I was a substitute teacher for an elementary school and had
subbed for this one class before, but this day was different. This day
something was definitely wrong and I was not sure what it was. As I moved
toward the back of the room, I noticed a desk that was hidden behind a
bookshelf. I peered around the corner and saw an eight-year-old girl resting
her head against her arms. I was surprised. Why was this student separated from
the rest of the children? Why was she hidden behind this bookshelf… alone?
One of the students volunteered, “She has to sit there
because she’s a trouble-maker. She doesn’t do her schoolwork and fights with
the boys at recess.”
She was a slender and pretty young girl. After excusing the
children for recess, I talked to her. It took quite a while to soften her angry
eyes and her rebellious attitude. So I decided to compliment her. I told her
how pretty her dress was and how nice her hair was fixed. After a time, I had
the young girl smiling. I didn’t like where she was seated, so I moved her desk
beside my own where she could be near me and I could help her. When the
students entered class and noticed what I had done, they complained but I set
them straight. Since I was in charge that day, her desk would remain by mine.
As the day wore on, I spent much time with this young girl,
helping her, talking to her, having her pass out papers to the students. I even
sat beside her during a music class. By the end of the day, I had grown to love
this young student and my heart went out to her. She had been bullied by her
peers and misunderstood by her teacher. As a result, the teacher had labeled
her as a troublemaker in front of the students. At the end of the day, I was
supposed to write a note about the young girl’s behavior so she could give it
to her parents. After the class was empty, I packed up and walked out the door.
To my surprise, the mother of the young girl walked up to me
with the note and asked, “Did you write this?” After acknowledging that I had,
the young mother’s eyes welled up with tears as she said, “Her teacher has
never written anything positive about my daughter. I want to thank you very
much. This means a lot to me.”
A teacher’s job is a difficult one and I know it. I
appreciate what teachers do to educate our youth, but many times we make
mistakes and have to remind ourselves to apologize when we say something
unkind. Children tend to forgive so easily.
This experience affected me quite a bit and I never forgot
it. I remember when my own eight year old daughter was labeled as a
troublemaker, simply because she was an active child. Angela’s teacher didn’t
know how to cope with a lively child and had given her a negative label. This
broke my heart. I realized that my daughter’s self-esteem was being hurt.
The following year, Angela’s new teacher was an elderly
woman who understood my little girl. She realized my daughter had a tough time
sitting still, so she allowed her to stand at her desk as she did her work.
Because of the love of a teacher, my daughter wanted to try harder. This sweet
elderly teacher helped to boost my little girl’s self-esteem.
Why do teachers have to give negative labels to children? It
tears them down and degrades them in front of their peers. My husband told me
about a young classmate of his, whom the teacher called “dummy” whenever he did
something without thinking. The students soon picked up on it and the boy lived
with this label until he left school. How would he have turned out if the
teacher had labeled him something positive? What if he was labeled as “one who
can create with his hands” or “one who is kind to others?”
I soon realized that negative labeling was something that
had been going on for years. A few months later, I sat down and wrote this
historical romance, Melinda and the Wild
West: A Family Saga in Bear Lake, Idaho. This story is about a teacher who
helps a rebellious student, but it’s a rugged rancher who challenges Melinda
with the one thing for which she was least prepared—love.
“Melinda and the Wild West: A
Family Saga in Bear Lake, Idaho” can be purchased through local and online
bookstores and Audible audiobooks. For more information, visit www.lindaweaverclarke.com.
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