"A Teacher's Heart"
Photo Credit: Frank Caba
PR Firm: Game Changers Media Network
Host: BirdSong Bookstore
Who is Sherna Spearman-Lott?
I am a mother of two wonderful young adults, Anyzia (my 24-year-old daughter who also happens to be my teacher peer at the elementary school she once attended) and Elijah (my 21-year-old son who serves in the US Air Force). I am the middle daughter of Ernest and Kizzie Spearman. I am a middle sister to Vickie Jackson and Artelia Weatherspoon. I am a friend to many. I am a 1995 graduate of Wayne County High School in Jesup, GA. I am a 1999 graduate of The University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Science in Education. (Go DAWGS!) I am a 25-year veteran elementary teacher at Martha Rawls Smith Elementary in my hometown who happens to LOVE what I get to do! I am a Parent & Family Engagement Facilitator for the families in my school. I am an active member of my community (completing Leadership Wayne in 2019, acting as Leadership Wayne shadow in 2022/23, and most recently serving as co-chair in 2023/24). I also completed the GA Department of Education’s 2022/23 Teacher Policy Fellowship Program, which afforded me the wonderful opportunity to represent our great state in Washington, DC, this past April. As of this summer, I can officially add the title of Published Author to my resume!
My co-workers like to joke that I wear many different hats…, but I am starting to think that may be an understatement! LOL
What inspired you to write a book for children?
I honestly LOVE reading aloud to the students in my classes! I felt that I made stories come alive when I taught Pre-K for ten years (Our youngest “readers” know how to tune in to the silliest of tales!), and it only proved to be more exciting while teaching in a first-grade classroom for 6 years (This age group seemed to really appreciate the different voices I would use as I became the characters!). You may be surprised to learn that my storytelling fascination grew larger still when I took on my current position as an Early Intervention Program reading teacher for grades 3-5. This older group of elementary students often gets overlooked for story time because most have learned to read for themselves, but 8 to 11-year-olds LOVE getting the chance to simply be “young” again through a storybook! I suppose reading so many wonderful stories over the years allowed me to find a story hidden inside my heart.
I have spent countless hours with so many amazing students over my twenty-five-year career, and it makes complete sense that I would be inspired to write a story about them and for them!
You partnered with a former student of yours who created the illustrations for the book, how did the reconnection happen for this amazing collaboration?
Gloria Blalock walked into my pre-k classroom almost twenty years ago as a wide-eyed four-year-old. I have remained in touch with her family while teaching her younger brother, Avery, and her parents also had turns teaching my children in middle school. The gift of teaching in a small community is that my students never stop being your students because I get to watch them grow up! Gloria’s parents relocated out of state upon retiring, but they still have ties in Jesup. It was during two separate trips to Jesup in September of 2023 that I ran into both of her parents. The chance encounters felt like far more than lucky coincidences! It was during the second run-in that her father, Andy, shared Gloria’s contact information and website address with me. I reached out via text message that turned into a phone conversation that turned into an agreement to collaborate on a project we both feel very connected to (Gloria was working as a long-term substitute art teacher at the time of our reunion.) that turned into this work of heart I entitled My Teacher Sees Me.
Tell us about Gloria Blalock and how she trained to become a published illustrator.
Gloria Blalock has also called Wayne County home for most of her life. She currently resides in Clermont, FL, where she works as a freelance illustrator. She is a 2023 Savannah College of Art and Design Graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in illustration and a double minor in sequential arts and scientific illustration. Gloria attributes her level of preparedness for this project to her time and experience at SCAD (the Savannah campus). My Teacher Sees Me is her first published work as a professional illustrator.
What were some of the challenges you faced in birthing this new project? How did you overcome those challenges to get it completed?
The manuscript for this book has been written since late 2021, but I only decided to put the words to use last fall after believing they were lost forever when my cell phone became inoperable. When the data from my old phone was recovered, I knew that I could not sit on this gift any longer. I had very limited knowledge about publishing a book, but I am thankful for friends/peers like Dr. Nakita Foreman, who had already navigated the path to becoming a self-published author! She provided me with so much helpful direction in those early stages. I took the information she generously shared and started my own research online. As time permitted, I continued learning about the process as I moved through the stages of taking my words from print to published. The biggest obstacle was MY SELF! There are times in life when we must be willing to get out of our own way. I had to stop procrastinating and making excuses for what I did not know if I expected to reach bookshelves by the start of the upcoming school year!
Tell us the story behind your book’s title, My Teacher Sees Me.
Teachers sit behind a desk or across a table from or next to students daily. We see our students more than we see our own kids in some cases! During that time, we see some of the best and worst times as experienced by little people facing some unusually large circumstances. It can certainly take a huge toll on your emotional state of mind. There are many times when I would see situations that left me feeling powerless, yet there are probably just as many when my power felt renewed! I live with the hope that each student entering a school feels seen for all the gifts they bring into a classroom setting, but I am not naïve enough to realize that is not always the case. I wrote this book to share a little perspective on an area of teacher preparation that cannot simply be taught, but it must grow within… EMPATHY! The ability or willingness to see the world through another person’s lens is a mindset and not a learning standard.
Is this your first book? Do you plan on producing other publications in the future? If so, should we expect another children’s book? What’s next for you as an author?
This is my first published book, but it is certainly not my last! As soon as Gloria and I reached a point of near completion, I woke up to a brand-new story one morning in April. It is my hope that Gloria will begin working on illustrations soon for a possible release in Winter 2025. The next book has a very similar vibe as our first book, but it is sure to bring something new to storytellers and story lovers! This newfound joy that writing books for the young and the young at heart gives me is not slowing down. I have already begun jotting down lines for book number three… Stay tuned! The collaboration between Gloria and I has the potential to grow into so many different possibilities! I am pretty excited to see where My Teacher Sees Me goes from here!
The classroom can be a challenging setting on its own. What are some of the difficulties you see our students facing in the classroom? Do you feel that forming a strong relationship between students and teachers is necessary?
This question has so many layers… Our students are not coming to school only to learn anymore. They come to school for attention. They come to school for a hot meal. They come to school to feel safe. They come to school for friends. They come to school for conversation. They come to school for shelter. They come to school for basic needs, and some teachers are too caught up in teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic to notice our students may be hurting deeply! The baggage some children may be carrying into a classroom would rival a full-grown adult’s worst fears in some instances! If our students see the school as a safe haven, then who do you think they are counting on to be the safe keeper? I’ll tell you… The Educators, The Paraprofessionals, The Janitors, The Cafeteria Workers, The Bus Drivers, The Guidance Counselors, and The Administrators. Each year we receive mandatory training as mandated reporters for the state, but it would also greatly benefit every district to include mandatory training in the area of understanding others through empathy!
Where can we find more information about the book online and how can our audience support your new book? Is the book available for purchase online and in bookstores?
You can find me on Instagram @A_Teacher_Heart or on Facebook @ATeacherHeart. You can message me directly on either platform, email me at SLott46@gmail.com, or contact me by mail at PO Box 702, Jesup, GA 31598. Gloria Blalock can be found on Instagram @Glo.draws or on her website @ glodraws.carrd.co/. My Teacher Sees Me is available for purchase on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D8WMC3NZ. I would also love the opportunity to bring my storytelling talents and my new children’s book to a library or bookstore near you!
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