I think we all have mentors in our lives. For me, I have several for the different facets in my life. I’ve written of Deb, my riding instructor from college. I had a internship supervisor, Pam, who taught me more about counseling than two years of grad school did. And then there was Susan.
I met Susan when I was in middle school. She was a teacher at my school, but not someone whose class I was in. My friend Jordan told me one day that there was a writing club after school. I was going through typical adolescent drama, writing a lot, so I decided to go to this club.
It took me a long time to get up the courage to share my writing out loud at meetings. I was in awe of the kids who read their poetry or stories to the group; they were so brave in my eyes. I did, however, begin sharing my words with Susan. She always built me up, always gave such encouragement. That’s not to say she wasn’t honest. She gave me constructive criticism and told me ways that my work could be improved, but most of all she fostered in me a deep love for writing.
Susan became “that teacher” for me. We all have them. Susan was the teacher that I could go to with anything. She was a friend, an ally, a mentor. I can remember going on a trip with her to Ocean City, MD as a babysitter for her daughter and having the absolute best time. Susan found in me courage, creativity, and passion for writing.
I absolutely credit Susan with my ability to step out of my shell and let others into my head. She helped create a strong, intelligent, compassionate, and determined woman. So much of my writing was written with one thought in the back of my brain: what would Susan think of this?
Susan and I are still in touch. I actually received an email from her this morning asking how I was, and sharing with me some wonderful news. She is having a book published! This is shocking to me, not because I don’t think she is a brilliant writer but because I cannot believe it took this long for someone else to recognize it. She has a website here. It’s hard to believe that what began in good old Glens Falls Middle School is now this amazing program for getting kids to love writing.
I can vouch for its effectiveness; I’ve been writing since I was 12, and that passion was instilled in me through afternoons spent in a small classroom with this wonderful teacher and 10 other kids. We shared our souls and are all better because of it.
Congratulations to Susan on her book. I’m so very proud to call you a mentor, and a friend.
