Title: Ignition: An
Educator's Journey
Author Name: Michelle
Arrose
Author Bio: My
name is Michelle Arrose. I am currently a teacher. I enjoy writing
and completed a short-novel titled, "IGNITION" Throughout
my entire life I have always felt inspired to write. I also am a
strong believer in being a teacher advocate. If my novella could help
educate people as to the hardships educators face today, then I would
be extremely elated. This is my first novella and hope you enjoy it.
I also set up a blog which is: marrose215.blogspot.com.
Feel free to follow me as I continue to write many more literary
works.
Book Genre:
Fiction
Publisher:Authorhouse
Release
Date:12/21/13
Book Description:
"IGNITION"
is about a first year teacher. Karen Woolsworth who was given (in her
mind) an excellent opportunity to work in a school and educate the
young minds of today. However, little did she know that teaching led
to her nightmare rather than her paradise. One troubled student,
Kevin Connelly, becomes part of her obsession that she cannot focus
on anything else. A teen that has a disturbing past. Kevin is a
representation of the typical student that educators face every day
around the world. Karen is left feeling alone in the world and
fearing for her life with no support from administrators. Ms. Crowe,
the Assistant Principal, is a woman who follows Karen's every move
like a bird. Instead of a dove she becomes a vulture who eats away at
the mental psyche and emotional stamina of Karen's well-being. The
only salvation in this pool of chaos is Billy, her husband. However,
he has difficulty relating and understanding the educational dilemmas
which Karen faces. The constant struggles that Karen encounters to
balance her life as a teacher and wife weigh her down daily. This
book is a rollercoaster filled with emotional ups and downs until the
ride ends. This novella is unique for its alternate endings and you
get to choose exactly how Karen's ride ends.
Chapter
1
A
New
Journey
August
24,
was a magical day for me. Not magical in the sense of wizards and
sorcerers, but rather in the sense that I, Karen Woolsworth, landed
my first
teaching position.
I
was so excited. I could not wait to go home and tell Billy, my
husband, that all that
hard work paid off. Two long years of rigorous graduate school,
finally over. Taking all those teaching exams and suffering for hours
with a proctor staring at you, sizing you up while tapping her
pencil, and distracting your every thought when you needed to be in
control at that time.
The
day started out dreary. I woke up to rain. I spilled coffee on one of
my suits and had to go to the interview in my navy blue suit and
white blouse. It was not my favorite, but it had to do. I hoped that
spilling coffee on my suit did not mean bad luck.
That
morning, my curly dark
hair stood as frizzy as can be. I felt like a cat that just had gone
through a car wash. Imagine how he would look.
Well, the spilled coffee delayed me a bit, but I raced for my
interview as fast as a jaguar
runs and I made it right on time. I was lucky that I did not get a
speeding ticket. Billy would have been quite upset if I had. I also
would have missed the job interview. Oh, what a shame that would have
been!
When
I arrived at West Street and Ninth
Avenue,
my nightmare began. There stood a lonely building called, The Charles
Dickens School. This was a five-story building with fifteen-hundred
students. The school consists of sixth through eighth graders. I
was able to see that this was an old, musty building with no
elevator. As I walked into the horrific huge school, I felt so
small, but there was an aroma of endearing books, which made me feel
quite elated. I was in awe. I grew up in the suburbs. I had never
been inside an
urban school. This was quite an adventure for me. I was so excited
and nervous. As I walked up the three small steps, I was greeted by
security,
a man in a blue uniform. I gave him my driver's license as proof of
ID and signed in. He told me to turn right at the first door and on
the left was the main office. I would then have to meet with the
principal. I thanked him and went on my way. As I walked down the
long narrow corridor, I remember my heart was beating very fast and
my palms felt sweaty. It reminded me of a first date, but much worse.
The principal,
Mr. Scott, a tall man with a mustache,
asked me many questions. He started the interview in a friendly
manner by shaking my hand and asking me if I found the school okay.
At this point, I remember that his smile turned into more of a
serious face, as if to say, "Let's begin."
He
asked me, "What made you want to go into teaching?" I do not even
remember what I answered him, but he must have been pleased with my
response. During the interview, there was another person in the room
as well. This person happened to be an assistant principal. She was
on the large side with curly short blond
hair. Her glasses hugged her ears tightly. She was the one who asked
some tough questions. She had a poker face on the entire time and did
not crack a smile once. Her name, I will never forget was Ms. Crowe.
She reminded me of a spectacle-wearing shark staring at a guppy. I
guess that you can guess who I was in that scenario: the guppy. I
remember Ms. Crowe's last question was one of the toughest.
"How
would you prepare your students for the statewide exam?"
I
must have looked at them dumbfounded. I could not believe this
question. I had just graduated from my master's
program. I had never taught before. I did not know what to say.
At
that moment, a magical thing happened. The principal's secretary
came in and interrupted us, saying that he had an urgent call from
his wife. He told me that I have the job. Naturally, I accepted the
job with alacrity. He then excused himself. If I had had time to
answer the question, I believe that I would not have gotten that job.
He informed me that I would have to teach a self-contained
eighth-grade
class which meant that I would have to teach the same children
throughout the day. My only hope at this point was that my students
would be great and not horrific.
I
thanked him and walked out of his tight, stuffy office, leaving him
and the shark behind. As I walked out the door, I felt relieved that
it was over and my teaching career would begin. The following week I
would start and I could not wait. I was overjoyed that I felt like
skipping down the block. However, in case the principal should
glance out the window, I knew I had to maintain self-control and save
that giddy emotion for when I got home.
Guest Blog:
Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write?
When I begin my novel, I never know what or who is going to enter into my imaginary world. I love writing and have never pre-determined the characters within my novel. However, I generally make my mind up about my main character; his or her name, where she/he is from, what their personality is like, etc. When I started Ignition: An Educator's Journey, I pretty much knew my main character was Karen Woolsworth. I wanted her to have a husband, Billy and an assistant principal, Ms. Crowe. I also wanted her to have a stressful, challenging student, Kevin Connelly. However, all my other characters started to slowly come to life. I think it must be difficult to map out all the characters when writing either a novel or a novella. For me, I never know what is going to happen next. I think that is why I enjoy writing so much. I love to have the power to help characters come to life and when I am truly able to envision them, I know I have done my job. I only hope that my readers understand and have a certain emotion for my characters. I am currently writing Part 2 to Ignition: An Educator's Journey. I am not even sure as to what the title will be. I do have two to three characters set in my mind. However, I have no idea whom I am going to add into the Charles Dickens School. I am not sure which new characters will join the treacherous world of teaching. I look forward to creating new lives; new characters that I hope my readers will be interested in learning more about.
Schedule
November 23 - December 15
November 23 - Introduction at VBT Café Blog
November 24 - Spotlight at 4 Covert 2 Overt: A Place In The Spotlight
November 26 - Spotlight at 3 Partners In Shopping - Nana, Mommy & Sissy Too!
November 27 - Guest blogging at Mythical Books
November 28 - Author Interview at Deal Sharing Aunt
December 1 - Spotlight at Freshly Baked Books
December 3 - Guest Blogging at The Avid Reader
December 5 - 5 Things I Know For Sure at CAT Magazine
December 8 - Interviewed at Bikers for Children's Books
December 10 - 6 Besties at BK Walker Books
December 12 - Review & Guest Blogging at SimpliRead
December 15 - Review & Guest Blogging at Fiction Zeal
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