After a couple of slices of pizza, I zipped over to Bloomfield Early Childhood Center to round out the day. I had an exciting time presenting to the entire school at once! They were all kindergardeners and boy could they make some noise. And even though students that age would rather tell stories than answer questions, quite a few of them had some good questions. Others had stories, too, but that’s okay. I’m a writer so I like stories.
Thanks to Principal Latta for having me out and to Mrs. Griffith for help setting up. And thanks to all the wild and crazy kindergardeners of BECC! I hope you all enjoy this picture of some of the scenery on my drive back to the airport. Luckily, the roads were clear. But do you know how hard it is to take pictures while driving? Don’t try this at home kids (the driving or the drive-by photography, actually).
I flew into Albuquerque, New Mexico, took a beautiful drive up to Bloomfield, and visited my very first New Mexico school, Naaba Ani Elementary! I performed one big show for the entire school and let me tell you, they really know how to cheer. I saw several teachers holding their ears (sorry about that). I was especially pleased, however, when several of those teachers later told me that what I talked about fell in line with what they were teaching their students. They especially liked the students knowing that there are all kinds of writers out there and how fun it was to meet someone who does all kinds of writing.
I’d like to thank Mrs. Jensen for having me out and Mr. Olivas for working so hard to help me set up. But I’d especially like to thank all the great kids of Naaba Ani Elementary. You had so many good questions and remember what I said, if you think of more, you can email me HERE.
The first thing I noticed when I visited Glen Loch Elementary were all the alligator footprints across the parking lot. I knew then that I was in gator country–the Glen Loch Gators! This would be my last school visit of the year and I really ended on a high note. The kids were excited, the faculty was welcoming, and the dragon roars were deafening (maybe I should have added an alligator to my farm song). Along with my presentations, I had the opportunity to hold a writing workshop with the entire 4th grade! After it was finished, I had the sneaking suspicion that I might have met several future novelists!
Thanks to Mrs. Gladstone and the Glen Loch PTO for inviting me to visit your cool school. I would especially like to thank all the Glen Loch Gators for such a great day. Keep reading and keep an eye out for some of my signed books. Not only did Mrs. Gladstone get some for your school library but I heard she also nabbed some for prizes for some lucky and hard-working students. Good luck, everyone!
On Friday, I arrived at Newport Elementary in Crosby, TX. It was a very busy day, indeed. Not only was it fish stick Friday but it was also picture day. They had high school football players visiting and a real life author visit–oh, wait … that’s me!
I gave two presentations to the entire enthusiastic student body. And then I was lucky enough to have a writing workshop with Mrs. Walker’s class. We had a fun time and every single student in her class had at least two great questions. Many kids had many more!
Thanks to Mrs. Henderson for inviting me and thanks to Mrs. Ragusan for taking pictures. Thanks to Mrs. Walker and all of her students, too. But the biggest thanks goes to ALL the great kids of Newport Elementary!
I’m back in the Houston area today to visit a school just a little south of there in Baytown–Alamo Elementary. Even though it was a cold morning, everyone warmed up quickly and I gave three fun shows in their big gym. I was a little surprised by how many students raised their hands when I asked how many of them like writing their own stories. It turns out that Alamo Elementary is chocked full of young writers! Way to go!
Thanks to Mrs. Weiss for inviting me and the Alamo PTO for having me out. And speaking of the PTO, thanks to PTO member, Mrs. Jannise and her daughter for taking pictures during the show. Thanks to Coach Camp for helping me set up and to Mrs. Weiss and Mrs. Onken for the cool gift basket. And the biggest thanks of all goes to all the great kids at Alamo Elementary. Keep coming up with those cool stories!
Today I had a rocking good time at McDonald Elementary in Ferris, TX! I performed three fun shows to help celebrate McDonald’s special book week. I could tell by many of the students’ questions that they love books and the many great stories within their pages … just like me!
Thanks to Mr. Ruiz for an amazing job helping me set up everything for the show. Thanks to Mrs. Zimmerman for inviting me and thanks both to Mrs. Zimmerman and Mrs. Rose for taking to very cool place for lunch. And thanks to all the students at McDonald elementary for a fun-filled day!
I almost forgot to mention that I was lucky to meet Lawson, McDonald’s own therapy dog. Lawson was very laid back and is nothing like my big goofy dog, Jahzara. But guess what, Jahzara and Lawson have something in common. That’s right, we found Jahzara in the Ferris Animal Shelter, so she’s a Ferris dog, too!
I finished my short trip in Tyler, Texas at Rice Elementary – home of the Rice Rangers! All the students and teachers were wonderful hosts and, if I could, I’d give out Rice Ranger Stars to everyone! I was especially surprised to learn that one of my high school classmates was a teacher there. It was great to see you again, Mrs. Smith!
Thanks to Mrs. Tunnell for inviting me. Thanks to Mrs. Thrasher for helping me set up. And thanks to Mrs. Moon for the warm reception and cool display of books. And a special thanks to all the Rice Rangers for being such great readers and listeners. Be sure to check out some of my books in the school library(thanks to Mrs. Tunnell).
I had a great time today kicking off National Young Readers Week at Douglas Elementary in Tyler, Texas. The Douglas Wildcats were great audiences for all three shows. They were especially excited to learn that Mr. Faust had ordered several of my books for the library. Unfortunately, they hadn’t yet arrived! Luckily, the books showed up just in time and I was able to sign them after my last show. I hope the Wildcats enjoy reading them!
Thanks to Mr. Faust for inviting me and thanks to Mr. Williams for helping me set up (and for the use of his cool amp). And a big thanks to all the Douglas Elementary Wildcats for being such a great audience and readers!
My last day in central Kansas found me at two schools. In the morning, I visited Tescott Grade School and performed in their gym. It was a great venue since it was an older school and reminded me of my own elementary school and high school. After my show, I signed a bunch of books for the library and got to meet all the best readers from each grade. After that, I held a writing workshop for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade. I hope everyone enjoyed my writing tips and screenplay breakdown. Don’t forget what I said, the best tip for becoming a good writer is to read as much as you can!
Thanks to Mrs. Ehlers for inviting me and a big thanks to all the great kids at Tescott Grade School!
After a tasty Tescott lunch, I zipped over to Bennington Grade School (home of the Bulldogs) where I performed another presentation for K through 6th and another writing workshop for some young authors out of 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade. I even got to have my picture taken with them in their cool library theater!
Thanks to Mrs. Bartlett and Mr. Gantenbein for having me out. Thanks to Mr. Boss and Mr. Wagner for helping me set up. And a big thanks to all the Bennington Bulldogs for being such a great audience. Oh, and another thanks to Laynah for sharing one of her Monster Hight birthday cupcakes with me. Yum!
