"I Love to Read" with Oakenwald Students!

Thank you Mr. Reimer's Grade 3/4 class!

Every time I do a school visit, I think, "Oh my gosh, it's even better than the last one!"

There is a definite pattern developing, and I love it.

Last Friday I had the pleasure of visiting Mr. Reimer's grade 3/4 class at Oakenwald School. They knew I was coming and had questions aplenty. This time, I was uber prepared. I even studied and knew that my book has 14 chapters, not 13 as I had previously believed.

Yup, that's the way I roll!

We delved into what inspiration means and where great writing ideas come from. We discussed the writing process and I showed them my current work in progress - all 32 chapters! (I told you I was better prepared!)

Just one or 652 edits to go!

Then we talked about how long it takes to get a book published and the importance of never giving up. It's just like learning to play the recorder - all wrong notes and squeaks at first, but with practice and determination, it turns into beautiful music. The same kind of effort is needed to make your written words leap off the page.

I was floored by the extent of knowledge those eight and nine year-old children already have. Kudos kids. Kudos teachers. Kudos parents.

And the absolute, positively best part? 
Mr. Reimer asked me to return to hold a writing workshop. 

Fueled by the student's enthusiasm and excitement, I nearly skipped out of his classroom at the end of the morning.

Can life truly get any better than this?